


Someone To Stay

by Night_Hawk94



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), bughead - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Best Friends, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Light Angst, Love, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Pining, Smut, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-04-27 07:35:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 65,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14420637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Night_Hawk94/pseuds/Night_Hawk94
Summary: A Bughead AUJughead Jones is having a really hard time lately - his little sister is about to go off to a college on the other side of the country and his close childhood friend and current roommate, Archie Andrews has just announced that he will be moving to Paris with his long term girlfriend; Veronica Lodge.The only constant thing Jughead technically has left is his lifelong, best friend; Betty Cooper.She’s always been there for him, through thick and thin, but can her unfailing ability to make anything and everything better, save him this time? Especially after Veronica invites them all on a week long trip in Upstate New York?





	1. Life

**Author's Note:**

> So here it is ... the first chapter of my new fic!! I’m really excited to share this story with you all and I hope you’ll enjoy reading it!! Xx

For most of his life Jughead Jones had always believed in that little saying; “Life isn’t fair.” 

After a lifetime of experience, he knew better than most anyway, that life has a tendency to surprise you. To shock you. To overwhelm you and to completely rip you apart. That it could be a nice grey area where absolutely anything can happen to you at any given time - the unpredictability of it all becoming an overly romanticized and completely misinterpreted way of thinking, especially in this modern day and age. 

It astounded him that so many people actually allowed themselves to so naively think that for every cruel obstacle thrown their way an equally kind one would eventually present itself at some point in the future - that every cloud has a silver lining. You just have to find it. 

Jughead, however, did not subscribe to this universally accepted concept, simply because he found it hard to believe that life could always be that fair or that it worked in some kind of ridiculous ratio. Life was either mostly cruel or kind to you. It was never both. 

He also knew that it probably sounded a little dreary and quite cynical whenever he tried to explain this to someone, especially given that he was a twenty four year old with a whole life ahead of him, but unfortunately, he was a first hand victim and survivor of Life and it’s consequences, making it very hard for him to think any other way. 

He was the product of Riverdale’s Southside - the poor and forgotten side of town and he was the product of a broken and semi - dysfunctional family. His mother had left them when he was young and his father was a recovering alcoholic. Granted, at least he still tried to be a half-way decent dad, but that didn’t stop his childhood from being wrecked in the long run. 

Life had dealt him a pretty shitty hand from the very get go and as a result, he had very little in his life that he really cherished or felt the need to protect at all costs. 

He had his three best friends, his writing, his dad and finally his little sister, Jellybean Jones, who above all meant the most to him. 

Their shared childhood had been spent always being there for each other when things were really bad, protecting and leaning on each other for support when heir parents failed to give it to them. So when she called him about an hour ago with news that she going to college on the other side of the country, he wasn’t exactly sure how to feel. 

“I got in J ... I got the scholarship! I’m going the University of Washington!” 

“I can’t believe I’m going to Seattle ... that I’m going to be a Seattleite or whatever they’re called!” 

“Ooh and don’t even get me started on the music scene, the food and student life on campus ... it’s going to be so amazing!” 

He replayed the conversation in his head over and over again, feeling his heart twist with the same strange mixture of pride and mild sadness he had felt the first time. She was going to college which was amazing, but she was going to college on the other side of the country - which wasn’t, and while he was incredibly happy for his little sister and he knew that she had worked insanely hard for this - a part of him just couldn’t jump on board with the idea completely. 

Apart from his dad, who had done some irreparable damage to their relationship early on, she was the only real family he technically had left so naturally his first instinct as a big brother would be to protect her and keep her safe. How was he supposed to do that when she was six hours away from him, living in Seattle? 

That was his current predicament, if he could really call it one, and while it worried him immensely, he realised that there was nothing he could say or do to stop her from leaving that wouldn’t end with him being called the Worst Brother in The World and he definitely didn’t want that. 

He would never want his relationship with JB to be strained or comprised in any way - so instead of raining on her parade with his own pathetic insecurities, he opted to just smile and give her his undivided support. He was incredibly proud of her for actually getting a scholarship and pursuing her dreams, but mostly he trusted her and he only hoped that would be enough for now. 

He sighed heavily and glared at his laptop screen for a moment, his eyes skimming over the few paragraphs he had somehow managed to write in the last sixty minutes before he saved his work and turned the device off, deciding that trying to get anymore work done in his current state would be a completely pointless exercise. 

He closed his eyes then and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his forehead with his fingers in an effort to soothe away the already dull beginnings of a crippling headache when he heard his bedroom door swing open. 

“Seriously Jug!” he heard a stressed, but familiar voice say, “You’re not even close ready yet ... We’re meeting the girls in twenty minutes and you know Ronnie will kill us if we’re late!”

Jughead didn’t have to open his eyes to see who had just addressed him, but he did anyway, huffing out a sigh when he saw his best friend; Archie Andrews, in all his tall, toned muscle, boyish and redheaded glory, looking at him expectantly from beneath the doorway. 

That was the one downside to moving to New York City for college all those years ago - because it’s so god damn expensive to live in the city he had no choice but to have a roommate and while he enjoyed and appreciated his childhood friends company on most days, Jughead was a loner by nature who liked his space and sometimes needed it. 

For the most part Archie understood that ... but clearly, he sometimes forgot. 

“Sorry man, I was just trying to get some last minute writing done. I’ll be ready in a second.” Jughead said with a heavy sigh. 

Truthfully, he’d completely forgotten about dinner and the massive, life changing announcement Archie and Veronica had planned for tonight, mostly because he didn’t really feel like going now and because he knew it wouldn’t be nearly as big as it was being hyped up to be. Still he had no intention of disappointing any of his friends or getting on Veronica’s bad side, so he stood up and pulled his ‘S’ t-shirt off at once, rushing now to get ready. 

He hurried over to his cupboard and pulled out his ‘fancy’ black collared, button down or as he liked to call it; the only shirt he owned that Veronica Lodge actually liked or approved of, and quickly slipped his arms into the sleeves.

“So are you finally going to tell me what this evening is all about or is it still some closely guarded secret?” Jughead asked. He had just finished doing up most of the buttons and fixing his collar when he noticed that Archie was staring at him curiously, “What?” he added. 

“Nothing,” the redhead said with a slight frown, completely ignoring the previous question and conversation now, “I’ve just noticed that you been a little off today that’s all.” 

“Yeah I know, sorry about that but my editors been breathing down my neck for the last few days and I have a serious case of writers block at the moment, but don’t worry I’m fine.” Jughead explained before he grabbed his iconic grey, crown shaped beanie and placed it back on his head, adjusting it until it sat the way he liked it. 

“Are you sure?” Archie pressed, “I’m pretty sure you’ve had your editor breathing down your neck and a bad case of writers block before and you’ve never acted like this?” 

“Yeah, I’m positive,” Jughead said a little more convincingly this time, “Trust me Arch it’s nothing to worry about, so stop worrying okay? Now can we please go before we give your girlfriend a real reason to use those mob connections of hers.” 

“Don’t joke about that,” Archie warned, his tone just a little too serious, “I’m still convinced her dad actually is a crime boss with ties to the mob and everything.” 

Jughead chuckled lightly and shook his head as he followed his gullible, yet well meaning friend out of their shared apartment, thinking that of the two of them, only Archie Andrews would accidentally find himself in bed with a mob bosses daughter. 

*~*~*

The other half of their Core Four group lived exactly two blocks away and luckily for Archie and Jughead they arrived right on time, something Veronica decided to congratulate them on when she opened the door for the them. 

“Right on time boys,” the beautiful, raven haired girl announced with her lips pulled into that signature dazzling smile of hers, “And here I was thinking you two would be late as usual.” 

“And look at us proving you wrong for once.” Jughead quipped back, giving her a quick, but still friendly hug. 

“For once is right,” Veronica scoffed, “Because lets face it boys, I usually am right.” 

“Of course you are,” Jughead said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at Veronica before she turned her attention to her boyfriend next, giving him a long and rather intimate ‘hug’, which was something he definitely didn’t want to see, “Where is -“ 

“ - She’s in the kitchen.” Veronica said, breaking away from Archie for a moment and answering the question before he could even finish asking it. Jughead smirked and quickly made his way there, leaving his friends to ‘greet’ each other. 

If there was one person in their little quartet that he was certain he would never have gotten along with, it was Veronica Lodge. 

When they first met at the beginning of their sophomore year of high school he was convinced almost immediately that they were just too different to ever find any common ground between them, but he quickly discovered that once she became Archie’s girlfriend and Betty’s best friend, that Veronica was the kind of person who made sure she eventually grew on you and by some miracle she had. 

When Jughead entered the kitchen a few seconds later he smiled when he found his third and final friend (and also one of the few treasures life had given him) Betty Cooper, putting the finishing touches on the spaghetti bolognese and cheesy garlic bread they were having for dinner. 

“Please tell me you know what this big announcement is supposed to be tonight.” he whispered as he sauntered over to where she stood and leaned against the countertop next to her. 

Betty, who was ladling heaps of spaghetti into a serving dish, stopped what she was doing and smiled at him playfully. 

“And what makes you think I would tell you if I did?” she asked, her deep, emerald green eyes shining with laughter and clear amusement. 

“Because you’re one of my oldest and closest friends,” he tried to steal a piece of garlic bread, but she quickly slapped his hand away, “And because I asked you nicely and you literally just abused me.” 

Betty threw her head back and laughed happily before she removed her apron, the simple action causing her blonde hair, that was always up in a neat ponytail, to bounce and flip a little. 

“You know you would be the first person I would tell if I did.” 

“So that’s a ‘no’ then?” 

“Sorry Jug,” Betty said with a small smile and a shrug, “I tried to get something out of Veronica all week, but she’s showing a ton of willpower on this one.” 

“Yeah, I’ve tried with Archie as well, but no such luck,” Jughead paused and scratched the back of his neck, “You don’t think it’s anything bad right?” 

“Of course not,” Betty said immediately, “Archie and Veronica have been floating around in a love bubble for the past week. I highly doubt it’s anything bad.” 

“Well we definitely know they aren’t pregnant or getting engaged,” Jughead said a little smugly, remembering how she kept insisting throughout their daily texts for last week that that would end up being the case, “There’s no way Veronica could’ve kept something like that from you for this long.” 

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?,” Betty challenged anyway. Her defiant streak coming through. She handed him the small platter of garlic bread then and picked up the bowl of pasta, “Can you please take that through for me and don’t you dare steal any.” 

“You got it Ma’am.” Jughead said with a chuckle and a smile as he followed her into the dinning room. 

*~*~*

Unsurprisingly, the dinner went well with all of them throughly enjoying the delicious food, red wine and the easy flowing conversation. 

It reminded Jughead a lot of the days they would spend in a booth at Pops. Drinking milkshakes, eating burgers and talking about whatever topic interested them at the time. Even their seating arrangements were strangely reminiscent of the good old days, with Archie and Veronica on one side of the table and Betty and Jughead on the other. He lived for those days - all of those moments between them were precious and sacred to him now. 

As the meal slowly progressed and whenever they found that they had a moment to spare, Betty and Jughead would glance at each other and smile, both of them silently wondering when this ‘big announcement’ was finally going to happen. 

All of this built up anticipation was really starting to annoy Jughead a little and he just wanted it to be over and done with now. He finally got his wish a few minutes later though when Veronica suddenly stood up and cleared her throat. 

“So I think it’s time for us to reveal why we’re having this dinner,” she said, smiling down at Archie affectionately. 

“Oh you don’t say,” Jughead said with an over exaggerated sigh, “The two of you have been baiting us for a whole week after all.” 

“We know and while we do feel awful, we do have a very good reason for keeping you both in the dark for so long,” Veronica giggled and winked at her boyfriend, clearly enjoying herself far too much, “But the reason why we are having this little meal tonight is because ..... Archie and I are moving!”

A brief, but pregnant silence fell over the room allowing Veronica’s words to sink in before Betty gave her head a slight shake, snapping her back to reality. 

“Wait, you’re moving? Like to another state or?” she somehow managed to say, clearly stunned by the unexpected news,

“Well that’s the really exciting part,” Archie said happily, tugging Veronica by the hand until she sat down on his lap, “We’re moving to Paris.” 

“Paris ...,” Betty repeated with mild disbelief, “As Paris, France?” Veronica and Archie both nodded and smiled brightly, “Wow, that’s uh — that’s amazing guys!” 

Jughead heard Betty stand up then and watched idly as she went over and congratulated the couple with hugs, smiles and tears. He stayed still though, rooted to the spot with his heart thumping so loud in his ears that could barely hear or focus on anything that was going on around him. 

He eventually smiled and stood up as well to congratulate them, but the whole exchange and the rest of the meal was a total blur. He ran on auto pilot for the rest of the evening, his mind filled with one thought and one thought only. 

Life was cruel, Life was kind and Life had just trampled his heart once again. 

*~*~* 

An hour or so later, Jughead found himself sitting in one of the camping chairs set up on the roof of Betty and Veronica’s apartment, staring out over the borough of Brooklyn with the magnificent New York City skyline rising up in the distance. 

Of course, on the same day he found out that his little sister is moving to a whole other state, he had find out that two of his only friends were moving to entirely different country now as well. Of course he would end up being that lucky.

What a terribly awful day ... he just couldn’t seem to catch a break. 

He sighed despondently into the night and fiddled with his crown shaped beanie, twirling the hat mindlessly in his hands. He couldn’t believe that this could happen to him. That both his sister and his oldest friend would announce something so major and life changing on the same day - proof once again that life was hardly ever on his side. 

Of course, he was thrilled for his friends, just like he was thrilled for his sister, but that didn’t change the fact that he liked to be comfortable. That he was a creature of habit or that he didn’t like change and now he was about to experience the most drastic kind of all - one where he would be completely separated from someone he had been friends with for as long as he could remember, only by an entire ocean this time. 

At least he would be able to see Jellybean on a regular basis - now he would have to settle for phone calls with Archie once he left. 

“Jug?” he heard Betty say quietly. She appeared then and sat down in the chair beside him, “I thought I would find you up here.” 

“Am I really that predictable?” Jughead asked with a crooked smile. 

“Kind of,” she said, shifting her chair a little closer to his. She took his hand in hers then and looked at him, letting her eyes travel over him with obvious concern, “Are you okay?” 

“I don’t know Betts,” he said honestly, sighing when she squeezed his hand gently, trying to console him, “I guess, I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed by all of this.” 

“Well that makes two of us,” Betty murmured, “I mean, don’t get me wrong I’m obviously happy for them, but I can’t believe that in a couple of months time they’ll actually be gone.” 

Jughead nodded and glanced at her. He wasn’t sure if she was doing it on purpose or not, but he immediately felt better now that knew he wasn’t the only one who felt disheartened by this whole situation - a common occurrence when it came to his friendship with Betty Cooper. 

Archie may be his oldest friend, but she was definitely the friend he connected with the most, both mentally and emotionally.

They had always been close, but ever since that day when he found her crying in the Blue and Golds office during their sophomore year of high school and she had shown him the moon shaped scars and wounds that littered her palms, there had been this deep and unwavering understanding between them. 

It was unspoken most of the time, but it always there - keeping them sane and together and there was no point in denying that this connection elevated their relationship to a whole new level. He looked at her then and realised that she would be the only constant thing he would technically have left once Archie and Veronica were gone and if he didn’t appreciate and love everything about her already he certainly would now. 

He would be lying to himself if he said that he wasn’t amazed or captivated by her on a daily basis. That he didn’t notice how beautiful, funny, smart, real or understanding she was. How her very presence always made him feel better and less burdened no matter what. She was rare and special in more ways than one and sometimes he felt like he was the only person who truly saw or understood that. 

To the moronic and uninformed eye, she came across as the stereotypical ‘Perfect girl next door” but again, he knew better than most, that she was anything but that - just like she knew he wasn’t only a beanie wearing loner who loved to write all the time. They were like puzzle pieces - both of them designed to fit together and make the surrounding picture a little more clear. 

Like with most things, he had no idea what the future would bring or what he could expect, but at least he had her and that fact alone gave him his first glimmer of hope after a long day of doubt and constant disappointment. She had always been there for him, through thick and thin and he only hoped that nothing - not even life itself would get in the way and change that anytime soon.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked quietly, moving closer so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. 

“How quickly everything is changing,” he said just as quietly, linking their hands together now, “That pretty soon it’s just going to be the two of us, taking on this massive city alone but together.” 

“Mmm,” Betty said around a small yawn, snuggling herself deeper into his shoulder, “I’m sure we’ll be alright though?” 

“I think so,” he said with a light chuckle, “We can be a pretty formidable pair sometimes.” 

“Exactly and honestly Juggie, the more I think about this whole situation the more I realise that the outcome doesn’t sound that bad, does it?” 

“No,” he said with a small smile, her nickname for him spreading a familiar comfort and warmth around his body as he leaned his head to side, resting it against hers, “It doesn’t sound that bad Betts ... not at all.”


	2. Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little something from Betty’s POV .... Enjoy!! Xx :)

For as long as she could remember Betty Cooper had always loved surprises. 

She loved the idea of them and she loved planning them, but most of all she just loved being apart of them - always relishing in the small thrill and burst of happiness she got every time things went according to plan - when the end result effectively made someone’s day. 

She was a natural people pleaser, but she was also one by creation thanks to a childhood spent being constantly reminded by her strict, drill sergeant of a mother to always have a person’s best interests at heart. But Betty liked to make people happy. To make them feel as comfortable and as cared for as possible. She liked to make them feel less burdened if she could and while achieving this goal wasn’t a problem for her usually, it would be this time, because while majority of people, like her, loved surprises - she knew one person who didn’t. 

“I still don’t think this is a good idea V ....” Betty said, for what felt like the millionth time that evening, as she walked into the living room with an assortment of snacks for their movie night with the boys. She looked at her raven haired friend, who was busy placing pillows and blankets around the room and sighed when she saw the playful smirk on her lips, “I’m serious Ron, you know how Jughead feels about surprises.” 

“True, I know he’s not the biggest fan,” Veronica admitted while she fluffed up a rather large pillow before dropping it onto the couch, “But I seriously doubt he’ll have a problem with a surprise trip to my families place in Upstate New York. Everybody loves to go away on vacation and I’m sure even the embodiment of Holden Caulfield will too.” 

“It’s not the trip he’ll have a problem with V - it’s being stunned or taken off guard again that will get to him ... you know as well as I do that Jughead absolutely hates that.” Veronica turned to face Betty and looked at her quizzically, “I’m just saying, he barely handled that Paris surprise of yours and he also seems a little off lately, so why don’t we ask him if he wants to go on this trip instead of backing him into a corner about it?” 

“I’m sure he’ll be fine B,” Veronica said dismissively, “I get that you’re worried and everything, but Jughead is a twenty four year old man. I’m sure he can handle a little week with his friends in a luxury house with its own private beach.” 

Veronica smiled at her friend and rubbed her shoulder affectionately as she left the room and Betty sighed, not entirely sure what to do next. 

On any other night, she probably would’ve ended up agreeing with Veronica, because while Jughead wasn’t partial to surprises she was certain that a unexpected trip with his friends to Upstate New York wouldn’t have bothered him that much in the long, but that would’ve been before the last time she had seen him. 

Call it a lifetime of friendship or the deep understanding and connection they had - call it whatever you want, but Betty could always tell when something was wrong with her beanie wearing friend. 

She had expected his reaction to Archie and Veronica’s news to go exactly the way it did, but when she found and consoled him on the roof later on that same evening, Betty quickly deduced that there was a lot more going on beneath the surface. 

That something else was troubling the person she cared about the most in her life. 

She smiled and then blushed at the thought. 

It seemed strange that he would be the person she care about the most, but after everything life in general and her family had put her through and after all the times that he had been there for her whenever something like that happened - she regarded him more highly than anyone else in her eyes. 

They were kindred spirits in many ways. 

Both of them came from difficult homes where the circumstances were different, but equally hard to face. Like Archie and Veronica, he was there for her if she ever needed him, but after that emotional morning in Blue and Gold office he had been there to help her every single day whether she needed him to be or not.

She remembered that morning as clear as day. She remembered him being completely surprised and then shocked when he found her lying on old, sagging brown leather couch in puddle of tears. 

At the time she remembered needing to be somewhere quiet so that she could work through the emotional turmoil she was in and because she and Jughead were the only people who operated the school newspaper she knew it would be a good choice for a hiding place. 

Jughead had always been attentive and compassionate, which is why it didn’t surprise her when he did everything he possibly could to try and comfort her, giving her his full attention she told him what had happened - spilling absolutely everything to him about the stressful pressure and high expectations everyone had for her. 

What had surprised her though was the courage she found to show him her scars - her coping mechanism. Something so deeply personal that nobody besides him actually knew about it. But what had surprised her even more was his reaction. The way he held her hands in his and gently kissed them, trying to ease and take away the pain that had caused her to do this in the first place, tears of his own pricking the corners of his eyes as he held her until she calmed down. 

It was in that moment when she felt the shift between them - when that deeper understanding was formed and she was also certain that that was the exact moment when she realised how much she actually loved him. 

This wasn’t new, her being in love with Jughead. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had always liked him - even when they were children there was something there, drifting and floating between them. Of course as they got older and closer the deeper her little crush on him grew. 

In all those years nothing happened though and while Betty was sure about her feelings for him it was hard to gage how Jughead felt about her. Sometimes she could see glimpses of what she could only assume was affection in the way he looked at her, spoke to her or even interacted with her, but it was never conclusive or straightforward. No matter how badly she wanted it to be. 

But Betty wasn’t an idiot. 

She refused point blank to spend her days pinning after him like some love sick puppy - praying that one fateful day he would suddenly return her unspoken feelings him (not that she would be terribly upset if that actually did happened at some point). 

She had dated other guys as a result and even had a brief, passing crush on Archie at one point, but nothing ever stuck and when Archie made it clear that things would never go that way for them, her feelings for Jughead only increased when she told him and he canceled his plans on the spot, offering to take her out for a burger and milkshake at Pops instead. 

They were best friends before anything else and if their relationship ever became something more, she would obviously be ecstatic - but if it didn’t she would eventually find a way to move on. She would always be there for him period, but most of all she would never give up hope that something could until he gave her a reason too. 

She had come to terms with that ages ago. 

“Speaking of Jughead, have you decided when you’re going to tell him?” Veronica asked, coming back into the room with a bottle of wine and a few sodas. 

Betty huffed out a sigh and dragged a hand over her face, once again regretting her poor decision to tell her friend about her feelings for Jughead. 

She knew Veronica meant well, but ever since she had found out about Betty’s almost decade long crush during their first semester of college, the raven haired girl had been a prying thorn in Betty’s side. 

“I’m working on it ...” Betty said, hoping to drop the subject before it even began. She moved to step out of the room, but Veronica grabbed her arm and held her back before she could. 

“Meaning?” Veronica pressed. 

“Meaning, I still haven’t made up my mind,” Betty sighed when Veronica raised her eyes brows at her in question, “You know It’s complicated V ...” 

“I know you think it’s complicated.” 

“But it is complicated!” Betty insisted, “Jughead and I are friends, best friends ... what if he -“ she paused then, suddenly unable to say the words that were on very tip of her tongue - afraid that actually saying them would make them a reality. 

“What if ... he doesn’t like you back?” Veronica finished for her, her tone a little concerned as she watched Betty close her eyes and nod despondently. 

This was in fact Betty’s biggest fear - Jughead Jones, her lifelong friend and secret crush not reciprocating her feelings. It seemed a little silly, but a part of her was terrified to ever go there regardless, just in case it turned out to be true. 

“Okay,” Veronica sighed after a moment. She smiled at Betty softly and took her hand, leading her over to the couch where they sat down, “I understand, but trust me, I don’t think you need to worry about that.” 

“Oh yeah?” Betty mumbled, “What makes you so sure?” 

“Because I’ve seen the way he looks at you sometimes,” Veronica explained, her small smile growing into a wide grin when Betty snapped her eyes up to hers, “I’ve seen him look at you the way Archie looks at me. That boy loves you and I think somewhere deep down inside you know that to be true.” 

“Then why hasn’t he said or done anything?” 

“Probably for the same reason why you haven’t said or done anything.” Veronica pointed out with a playful smile. 

Betty sighed and rubbed her temples. She was silent for a moment, allowing Veronica words and the weight they carried to sink in and slowly take shape. It made sense - it actually made a lot of sense. It was true that she had never said anything before because she wasn’t sure, but she realised now that part of it was that she didn’t want to lose Jughead. 

What if he didn’t like her back? What if he did, but it didn’t work out? Would she really be able to move on like she had convinced herself she could? It was hard to tell and maybe Veronica was right. Maybe he thought about it like that as well. Maybe he was just as worried as she was. 

“Look B, I know you’re worried about the uncertainty of all of this and that you’re scared of losing Jughead if you tell him the truth, but have you taken a to consider that maybe deciding not telling him might end with you losing him anyway?” 

“I honestly never thought about it like that.” Betty said eventually, having found herself in a bit of a dilemma now. She was in the middle of trying to debate the possible pros or con or that could come with her decision when there was a sudden knock on the door.

Betty barely heard what Veronica said next or even saw her stand up to go and greet the boys. Her mind was reeling, her heart was racing a mile a minute, beating against her chest creating a deafening hum in her ears. It was only when Jughead came into view with his signature smile aimed directly at her that everything finally settled and a striking realization hit her right between the eyes. 

She owed it to him and more importantly, she owed it to herself to be honest and try to find out if he felt the same way or if she had spent a decade of her life wanting and waiting for something that was never going to happen. 

Either way, she needed to tell him and she needed to tell him soon. 

*~*~* 

A couple of hours later Betty found herself nestled on the couch beside Jughead, desperately trying to focus on anything but him. That was hard to do though given that tonight was Archie’s choice of movies and so far he had only picked horror films. 

Betty detested horror films, having never found the idea of over the top, disgusting gore and generic people making dumb decisions appealing in any sense of the word. 

They were about half way through the first Halloween film when she realised how close she was to Jughead on the couch, their close proximity making her feel uncomfortably hot under her blanket and doing absolutely nothing to calm her down - especially now that she had made up her mind about wanting to reveal her feelings for him. 

It was almost like he knew, which only made things incredibly worse. Betty wondered if he was aware of the affect he had on her or if he noticed the way she reacted around him sometimes. If he ever did - he certainly did a good job of not showing it. 

She thought about Veronica’s words from earlier then and studied his face for a moment, trying to see what her friend apparently always saw. He really was handsome. She always thought so. With his unruly strands of black hair and his deep piercing blue eyes. 

That was the feature she loved the most. Whenever she saw them she always thought of that Shakespearean quote “The eyes are the windows to your soul.” She thought it resonated with him incredibly well given that she could see the pain and happiness he had been through and experienced in them. 

He was damaged and sometimes a bit cynical, but he always found a reason to smile whenever he was around her. She sometimes wondered if it was her - that being around her made him smile, but more often than not she decided it was something else. 

She was in the middle of trying to keep her breathing even and under control when she felt Jughead shift beside her and lean in closer, rendering her previous efforts useless. 

“Isn’t that just typical?” he whispered in her ear, the smile in his voice and the warmth of his breath on her already overheated skin making her shiver slightly. 

Suddenly thankful for the lack of light in the room, Betty swallowed a little thickly and followed his eyes towards the far end of the couch where Archie and Veronica were shamelessly making out instead of watching the movie. 

“Were you seriously expecting anything less?” Betty whispered back, smiling at him when he smirked in response. 

“I guess not,” he chuckled, “Do you think they’d notice if we changed the movie? Because while I do think John Carpenter is a genius, I’m not exactly the biggest fan of horror movies.” 

“I know and you could probably get away with it, I’m pretty sure if the apartment was on fire right now they wouldn’t even notice.” Betty giggled. 

“That sounds about right.” Jughead said, nonchalantly draping his arm over her shoulders and Betty almost died right on the spot. She quickly ducked her then and silently hoped that he couldn’t see her involuntary blush. “So, with Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumb otherwise occupied over there can you please tell my why Veronica insisted on having movie night tonight like you promised?” 

Betty grinned, remembering how she had pulled him aside shortly after he had arrived earlier and told him that she would explain everything as soon as they got a moment alone. She looked back at Archie and Veronica and made sure they were still kissing before she answered. 

“So, Veronica may or may not have a surprise coming up for you and Archie.” 

“More surprises huh?” Jughead murmured with a heavy sigh, “Is it just me or does everyone keep forgetting that I hate surprises?” 

“No,” Betty laughed, “Veronica knows that you do, but I think you’ll like this one.” 

“So I’m guessing you know what it is?” Betty nodded, “Are you going to tell me?” 

“Now where’s the fun in that, Juggie?” he made a face at her and she laughed happily, “I literally decided to tell you so that you wouldn’t be caught off guard again like you were the last time.” 

“Well thanks for keeping my best interests in mind Betts.” Jughead teased as he stood up to put on a different movie. 

“Always.” she teased right back. 

She watched him with a small smile as he fiddled around with the Tv and her heart practically burst when he put on Funny Face - one of her absolute favourite movies. 

“Interesting choice,” Betty commented when he came to sit down beside her again, “I’m pretty sure you hate musicals.”

“But you don’t.” he said with a seemingly innocent smile. 

“I know, which is why I can’t help but think this is some kind of bride.” 

“I would never bride you Betts,” he said, dropping his arm over her shoulders again, “But I certainly wouldn’t be upset if you found it in your heart to repay the favor.” 

“Of course you wouldn’t.” Betty said before she quickly pinched his side, causing him to laugh and pull away from her and her playful, teasing fingers. 

They laughed together for a joyous moment and all she could think about was that if her choice didn’t work out or if it blew up in her face then hopefully they would always have this. These moments between them. 

They settled down to watch the movie then and spent that time talking, teasing and toying with each other until they finally fell asleep, side by side and snuggled into each other’s warmth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are always appreciated!! Xx


	3. Daydreaming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here’s chapter three filled with some more soft and fluffy Bughead ... I hope you all enjoy it!!! Xx 
> 
>  
> 
> Also, please note that the place they’re going to doesn’t actually exist. I made it up!!

Exactly five days after their last movie night, Jughead found himself sitting in the back seat of Archie old four door truck, about half way through a short road trip with his friends to Upstate New York. 

He actually loved road trips (even when they were presented to him as an unnecessary surprise sometimes) or, more specifically, he loved certain aspects of going on a road trip. 

He loved driving in the car. He loved staring out the window, watching the world go by in a never ending blur of shapes and colours. He loved to use that quiet and uninterrupted time to think. About his life. About his writing. About absolutely anything, but today, in this exact moment, he couldn’t think about anything else except Betty Cooper. 

She was sitting beside him on the backseat and she was fast asleep. She had been like that for almost two hours now, with her head resting on his shoulder and her lips slightly parted so she could breathe steadily and easily. 

He looked at her and, once again, his heart twisted in his chest at the sight, feeling completely overwhelmed by what he saw. She was so surreal. He couldn’t help but think so right now with the sunlight streaming through the nearby window and shining across her classically beautiful face - but if he was being entirely honest with himself, he had been thinking about her that way for quite a while now. 

Being especially careful not to wake her, he reached out and tucked a few strands of loose blonde hair behind her ear, smiling with pure warmth when she shifted a little and snuggled into him even more, the simple, yet unexpected action doing something extraordinary to his heart that he had never, ever felt before. 

She did that to him a lot lately. So much so that he was convinced there was something undeclared between them just by the way she looked at him or even smiled at him sometimes. It was almost as if she was trying to silently convey some kind of message to him that was meant to be obvious, but somehow wasn’t. 

It both puzzled and captivated him beyond words and while a part of him wanted nothing more than to try and uncover what it all meant, a much larger part of him couldn’t get past the few annoying questions that still bounced around his head. 

Was he reading into it too much? Would he make himself look really stupid if he ever asked her about it? Should he risk it? What if he did ask her and it blew up in his face? What if his suspicions turned out to be true? What would they do then? Would they step forward or would they stagnate?

He had closed himself off from any possible Betty-Cooper-induced-heart-ache a long time ago for a reason, convinced that he was completely out of her league and that she, for whatever reason beyond the obvious, deserved more than what he could ever hope to offer her. 

He thought about this a lot - more frequently then he ever had before in the past and it was during moments like these, when he had the object of his closely guarded affection and the only girl he had ever really noticed sleeping on his shoulder, where he was almost tempted to ignore that side of himself and find out. 

Jughead gently caressed the apple of her cheek with his thumb then and smiled softly when her lips twitched into what he could only assume was a sleep induced smile. Maybe one day he would be brave enough to actually find out. 

His train of thought was interrupted then by the sound of a camera going off. Surprised, he snapped his eyes up immediately and just in time to see Veronica pull back and admire the picture she had just taken of him and Betty. 

“Seriously Veronica?” Jughead said with a grimace, clearly unamused. 

“What?” she said innocently, “I’m sorry okay, but that moment was way too adorable to ignore. I couldn’t help myself.” 

“Well stop it or I swear I’ll be on the first bus back home as soon as I get the chance.” 

“Oh please, you should know by now that your threats are wasted on me Jones,” Veronica said as she settled back into her seat with a smile, “Besides, I know you would never do that to Betty.” 

“You’re right,” Jughead mumbled, “In fact, the only reason why I’m even here is because of her.” 

“I know.” Veronica said in a tone that implied something more than the obvious. Jughead frowned and stared at her for a few moments, trying to understand what she was getting at. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Oh I think you know,” Veronica said. She glanced at Archie, who was in the drivers seat beside her, and smiled brightly when the red head smirked at her, “Did you really think the two of us missed that little cuddle fest on the couch the other night?” 

Jughead froze for a second, feeling his heart thud against his chest faster than normal at the comment. It was true that he had shamelessly used the lack of light and the opportunity created by his distracted friends to get a little closer to Betty on the couch during their most recent movie night (because even if his chances of ever being with her were basically slim to none - he was still going to use any chance he could to test the water a little and enjoy himself), but he was certain that neither Archie or Veronica had seen anything.

“Well you could’ve fooled me with the way you were sucking each other’s faces off for about ninety percent of the evening,” Jughead grumbled, “Besides Betty and I have always been like that. We’ve always been comfortable around each other and close.” 

“Sure, you keep telling yourself that,” Veronica said, turning around in her seat to face him again, “But we,” she gestured between her and Archie, “And the rest of the world aren’t blind to the facts.” 

“And what facts are those exactly?” 

“That there’s more going on between the two of you than meets the eye,” Veronica said with a knowing smile, “Or there should be at least.” 

Jughead swallowed thickly and tried his best to keep himself as composed as he possibly could, which wasn’t exactly easy given that she had just ousted him and his unspoken feelings for the girl beside him, who was thankfully still blissfully unaware of this conversation. It scared him sometimes, how accurate and intuitive Veronica could be. 

“I’m just saying,” Veronica continued after a moment, “In my opinion the only people who are blind in this car are you two.” 

“Well, thank you so much for that invaluable insight in my life Veronica, I’ll be sure to reflect on every word when I have the time.” Jughead shot back sarcastically making Veronica groan softly and roll her eyes while Archie just packed up laughing beside her. 

With his friends well and truly pacified ... for now, Jughead spent the rest of the drive mulling over what Veronica had said, trying to convince himself that she was somehow wrong, but he knew deep down inside that she wasn’t ... not by a long shot. 

The more he thought about it in the passing seconds and minutes of the day, the easier it was to remember the exact moment when he realised the depth of his feelings for Betty - which had up until then been nothing more than a small and innocent crush. 

He must have been about seventeen or maybe on the verge of eighteen when he lost his beloved, childhood pet, a fluffy sheepdog appropriately named; Hot Dog to time and old age. 

Of course, Jughead was old enough at the time to see it coming and to even expect it, but he was still upset - the only difference is that he cried when nobody was around to see it. Jellybean, on the other hand, had been left noticeably traumatized by the whole situation and rightly so. 

Of all things that came out of their troublesome childhood, Hot Dog had been one of the few memorable aspects of it, so when they lost him it was like losing a piece of the armor that had protected them both for so long from the disappointments they had experienced. It was devastating and the only person who really seemed to notice the affect it had on him was Betty. 

Somehow without Jughead even telling her she had known that some serious cheering up was needed. He would never forget how grateful he was towards her when she showed up with burgers from Pops and a stack of movies to distract and make his little sister smile and even laugh. 

He would also never forget the hug Betty gave him after Jellybean had finally fallen asleep and she was about to leave. It was long and warm and filled with something he couldn’t quite place at the time. Regardless, her presence that evening and for every day that came after that made him feel a million times better with hardly any effort. 

Now thanks to Veronica and her sage and annoyingly insightful words, Jughead had some idea of what that ‘something’ could possibly be. What interested him the most about that earlier conversation with his friends was that Veronica made it sound like the feelings were mutual. That Betty Cooper actually liked him as well which, in his eyes, seemed highly unlikely. 

But maybe Veronica was right. 

Maybe he had spent all of his time trying to convince himself that that wasn’t true. Maybe there was a lot more going on between him and Betty than meets the eye and maybe they were both blind to this or maybe too afraid to face it head on. 

He looked at Betty - at his best friend again and sighed softly when he realised, right then and there, that he couldn’t imagine any kind of future where she didn’t know how he truly felt about her. 

One day she would know - he would make sure of it. 

“Damn the consequences” he boldly thought as he rested his head against hers and continued to stare out the window - his stomach tightening with a new sense of desire and longing whenever he saw or thought about her now. 

*~*~* 

“Betts .... Betty, wake up. We’re here.” 

Betty groaned and slowly opened her eyes, half expecting to see Veronica beside her only to have her heart leap into her throat when she saw Jughead there instead. 

He was sitting beside her and he was sitting incredibly close to her as well, his natural and distinctive body heat making her feel even more flustered than she already was a few seconds ago. 

“Hey, you alright Betts?” he asked when she didn’t say anything, shifting a little so that he could get a better look at her. 

Betty nodded and straightened up immediately, realising that their close proximity must be because she had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder at some point during the trip. She blushed slightly at the thought. Not because she had so boldly fallen asleep on his shoulder, but because he hadn’t moved her once and didn’t seem to be fazed by it at all. 

“Yeah I’m okay ... Sorry Jug, guess I’m still half asleep.” 

“Well that’s understandable I guess, you did just sleep for two hours after all,” Jughead smiled at her crookedly and opened the car door for them, “Come on, you’ve got to see how ridiculous this place is.” 

Betty smiled and followed him out into the fresh Summer air. 

To most, Rockridge, New York was like the Hamptons in more ways than one ... only it was a little smaller, more isolated and ultra exclusive. 

Situated along the coast, it had the feel of a small, but quaint town, one designed to cater for the wealthy residents who lived nearby. There was a rather large general goods store, a couple of restaurants, a bar, a marina lined with private yachts and a few boutique stores. 

Veronica had explained all of this to them before they had left and while her description of the town seemed accurate enough, her description of The Lodges Family Cabin certainly wasn’t. 

It was a large, double story, modern styled “cabin” built out of concrete, large stones and huge beams of finely polished wood. The front of the house looked like it was made entirely out of glass thanks to massive bay windows and windows in general that ensured you always had a beautiful and magnificent view of the private expanse of beach and ocean that was literally a few meters away. 

Betty stood beside Jughead and admired the facade, certain that she had never seen anything like it before. Of course, she had seen a cabin before, but this wasn’t what she remembered seeing. Betty’s first thought was that it was beautiful and completely outlandish. She glanced at Jughead then and bit back a smile when she saw the surprised look on his face as well, clearly stating that he agreed with her. 

“Jeez Veronica,” Jughead murmured in astonishment and disbelief, “I thought you said this place was modest.” 

“This is modest,” Veronica insisted, coming to stand beside them, “If you think this is fancy, you should see our house down in Florida.” 

Betty and Jughead glanced at each other and then at Archie, just in time to see him mouth “It’s huge” as he followed his girlfriend towards the cabin, already weighed down by several bags of her luggage. 

“Kinda feels like we’ve entered the twilight zone, doesn’t it Betts?” Jughead whispered in her ear as they followed after their friends. He draped his arm loosely over shoulders and she smiled bashfully, wrapping an arm around his waist in return. 

“We actually shouldn’t be that surprised Jug, this is Veronica Lodge we’re taking about after all.” 

“Still I had no idea places like this even existed ... I mean this is crazy Betts!” 

She smiled at his enthusiasm and was glad that Veronica had been right after all about him not objecting to the trip when it was eventually announced. She leaned into him a little more and listened to him as he regaled the enthralling road trip highlights she had missed to her. 

Inside, the cabin was bright, beautiful and open planned with rug covered mahogany wooden floors and country styled furniture filling every spacious room. Veronica quickly explained there were two living rooms, a library or a study, a dinning room and a massive kitchen. There was also a pool area with a hot tub outside and the five bedrooms were all upstairs and had en suit bathrooms. 

Modest definitely was the word Betty would use to describe it. 

“You’ll stay here B and Jug can stay in the room opposite yours. Archie and I will take the main bedroom.” 

Veronica smiled at the two of them a little too obviously and suggestively before she finally drifted off down the hallway and left them alone. Betty rolled her eyes and shook her head, wondering if her friends harmless meddling would ever end. The she sadly remembered that it probably would once they left for Paris in couple of months. 

“I swear this room is bigger than my families trailer.” Jughead commented then bringing her back to reality. She watched him flopped down onto what looked like an insanely comfortable double bed and smiled. 

“I’m pretty sure this whole cabin is bigger than mine and Archie’s houses put together.” Betty laughed as she collapsed onto the bed beside him, her heart stuttering uncontrollably in her chest when she caught him staring at her with a warm smile on his face. There was something in those stormy blue eyes of his - it was the same look she had seen only a handful of times before and just like before it gave her a small smidgen of hope. 

“I’m glad you decided to come Juggie.” she said quietly. She saw him swallow slightly and could’ve sworn his eyes dropped to her lips for a moment. 

“Believe me so am I Betts.” he said back just as quietly. 

*~*~*

Once everyone had settled in and freshened up, the four of them gathered in the dinning room where they ate an early dinner of chicken casserole prepared for them by the Lodge’s personal chef; Theo - something Betty and Jughead found both ridiculous and rather amusing. After dinner they headed to the living room that had the best ocean view, drank cocktails and shared a bottle of red wine together. 

They spoke for what felt like hours, with Veronica sitting in Archie’s lap and Betty tucked into Jughead’s side (a common sitting position for them now apparently), and laughed for what for endless moments, during which time Archie and Veronica made plans to go and look at some of the boutique stores in town tomorrow while Betty and Jughead decided to just stay behind and simply relax. 

They watched the final moments of the sun setting from their respective spots, the brilliant colours reflecting off the surface of the ocean and stretching all the way towards them from where they touched the horizon and it was during this time when Betty, once again, became acutely aware of how close Jughead was to her. 

Unlike the last time they were in this position, she actually managed to keep herself as calm and composed as possible, but this time she was almost tempted to use the opportunity to her advantage and snuggle into him a little more - successfully starting her slow revelation of her long kept feelings for him. She was about to sum up the courage to do so when he suddenly leaned in close again. 

“Really, even when were here.” he whispered, nudging his head towards Archie and Veronica who were, once again, too busy with each other to really appreciate what was happening right in front of them. 

“Again, you really shouldn’t be so surprised Jug.” 

He chuckled and clinked his glass against hers. 

“Ah well, at least we have something incredible to look at this time instead.”

Later on that night, when it was finally time for them to go to bed - Betty found that she couldn’t fall asleep for no other reason then she just couldn’t stop thinking. 

It happened to her sometimes- especially after long and surprising days like this. She was also convinced that it had something to do with her unconventional childhood, but she preferred not to think about those days if she could. 

After spending a good hour trying to fall asleep by reading and listening to some music Betty sighed with obvious frustration and reached for her phone. When she saw what time it was she almost put her phone back down, but she pushed the thought aside and quickly typed out a message to Jughead. 

B: Are you awake? 

She knew after a lifetime of friendship that Jughead Jones was a night owl who preferred to read or write and only went to bed in the early hours of the morning most nights as a result. Her phone vibrated then and she quickly read the message. 

J: Barely ... What’s up Betts? 

B: Nothing, I’m just struggling to sleep. 

Betty squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her jaw as soon as she hit send, feeling utterly pathetic for even mentioning it to him, but technically this wouldn’t be the first time she had given that he was the only one who knew about her ... situation. There had been a couple of instances back in high school where she needed someone to distract her and that someone had been Jughead every time - that being said she hadn’t needed him or his presence for something like this in years. 

J: That’s what you get for napping the day away ... 

She giggled and was about to type a message back to him when another one came through. 

J: Do you want to talk about it? 

Betty hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should still involve him, but then she realised that if she didn’t she would never fall asleep.

B: I don’t necessarily want to talk about it over the phone ... 

J: Okay ... I’ll be there in a minute. 

Sure enough, it wasn’t long until Betty heard her door open and felt the bed dip under his weight when he climbed in and laid down beside her. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the distinct darkness until she could see him more clearly - smiling at her softly and lying on his side of bed. 

“You okay?” Jughead whispered. Betty nodded and shuffled a little closer to him - already feeling more at ease with him nearby, just like she used to feel back in high school when he would climb a ladder up to her window and sneak in to do this for her. 

“Thank you for doing this again, Juggie,” Betty said quietly, “I just can’t stop thinking and -“ 

“- It’s okay,” Jughead said, gently interrupting her. He reached out and took her hand in his, linking their fingers together immediately, “I promised I’d always be here for you Betts and I have no intention of breaking that promise.” 

Betty squeezed his hand and smiled slightly when he instantly returned the pressure, his thumb drawing small circles into her skin. The action was soft and endearing and with every second that passed her thoughts were already starting to ease - comforting her beyond words as sleep slowly started to descend upon her. 

“I know.” she whispered a moment later, “I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are always appreciated!! Xx


	4. Sea Shells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here’s chapter Four with some more fluffy goodness ... hope you all enjoy it!! Xx 
> 
> Also I apologise for any mistakes!!

When Jughead woke up the following morning the first thing he noticed was that it was early - a lot earlier than it normally was when he woke up - and the second thing he noticed was that he was alone. He lay there for what felt like an eternity, tangled up in Betty’s sheets, and allowed the fresh memories from last night to sweep into his mind again.

He had been no where close to falling asleep when he received a text from Betty asking if he was still awake. As soon as Jughead read that message he had a good idea of what to expect next, remembering the few occasions back in high school when she had asked him to come over and help her fall asleep. 

It had become a common interaction between them and, of course, he was more than willing to help her in any way he could. He never questioned why she needed him and he never thought any less of her because of it, especially after everything she had revealed to him about her family in the Blue and Golds office. He always figured it was because he knew and somehow understood what she was going through and he thought that maybe she found some solace in having him near because of that. 

In any case, he wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to sleep in the same bed as Betty Cooper. 

When he finally got the message that she needed him, he had crept across the hallway to her room, slipped into her bed and held her hand tightly in his without hesitation, all the while desperately trying to resist the mad urge he had to hold her in his arms and comfort her until she fell asleep. 

Needless to say, he made sure he didn’t fall asleep until he was certain that she had first. 

 

After letting out a long yawn, Jughead sat up slowly and scanned around the room, searching for any obvious sign of Betty, but there wasn’t any, which didn’t really surprise him given that she had always been an early riser. 

He was almost tempted to fall back into bed and go straight back to sleep until he remembered that he was in Betty’s room and in Betty’s bed, something their dear friend Veronica Lodge would definitely notice and point out if she happened to burst into the room suddenly like she had so many times before in the past. 

That was honestly the last thing Jughead needed right now, especially after that little conversation he’d had with Veronica in the car yesterday, so he threw back the covers and quickly left the room .... just to be safe. 

When he came downstairs sometime later - showered, changed and ready for the day he was surprised, once again, when he saw no sign of Betty or, anyone for that matter, in the cabin. He remembered Archie and Veronica saying something about going into town during dinner, but it was way to early for them to even be up yet, which begs the question; Where was Betty? 

It took him a good ten minutes to find her and after searching nearly every room in the house he finally spotted her sitting on the beach, watching the sunrise. He exhaled heavily, feeling a deep and instantaneous kind of relief wash over him as he went out to join her.

With every step Jughead took towards her it suddenly dawned on him that, despite their years of friendship, he had never seen Betty in this kind of light before. But he took notice of her now, sitting by herself in the sand, her blonde hair loose for once and blowing in the soft breeze, her stark emerald green eyes somehow brighter and even more breathtaking with the deep rays of golden sunlight reflecting off them. 

He had never seen anything so lovely or so beautiful before that it left all of his senses completely mesmerized by the sight. He swallowed nervously and wiped his sweaty palms on the rough material of his jeans, realising only now that he had chosen the wrong clothes for a moment like this. 

Betty must’ve heard him coming because she turned to look over her shoulder curiously and smiled brightly when she saw who it was. 

“Well, I don’t believe my eyes,” she commented when he plonked himself down beside her, “Jughead Jones up and about before noon? The world must be coming to an end.” 

Jughead returned the playfulness of her smile at once and bumped his shoulder against hers, making her giggle softly. 

“That’s not fair Betts,” he insisted with feigned offense, “I’ve gotten up before noon on more than several occasions.” 

“Juggie, name one time when you willingly got up before noon, because you wanted too, not because you had too.” she gave him a moment to think, smirking just a little as she watched him open his mouth to respond only to snap it shut seconds later. 

“Damn, I think you’re right,” Jughead laughed eventually, “It must be all this fresh, unpolluted coastal air that’s messing with my mind.” 

Betty laughed at the comment immediately and teasingly bumped her shoulder against his as well. Jughead couldn’t help but smile warmly at the sight. He loved it when she was like this. He loved to see her laugh and smile - to see her so happy, carefree and unburdened by anything in her life - especially because he knew that he was one of the few people who could make her that way. 

“You feeling a little better this morning?” he asked quietly, wanting to make sure that there wasn’t any residual troubles from the night before that still needed to be resolved. 

Betty nodded without hesitation and smiled at him appreciatively. 

“I’m alright Juggie, I just had a lot on my mind last night.” 

Jughead nodded as well. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” he watched her closely then, trying to gage her reaction to the sensitive topic, and when he saw her starting to gnaw on her bottom lip indecisively, he quickly decided to change the subject. That’s when he spotted the small pile of shells lying in the sand in front of her and grinned. 

“I see you’ve been busy.” he gestured towards them and Betty smiled as well. 

“I have an entire private beach to myself Juggie, how could I possible resist.” 

Jughead chuckled lightly and picked one up, admiring the delicate swirl shaped object for a moment with a smirk. He remembered quite clearly when Betty’s obsession with seas shells began. It was right after a trip down to LA with her family during the summer holidays right before senior year. After two weeks away, she had come back with a small bag of sea shells from the west coast that she loved, and now whenever she got the chance, she always hunted for more. 

“Jug, can I ask you something?” 

“Do you really need to ask me if you can?” she gave him an amused look and he chuckled, “Ask away Betts.” 

“I just wanted to know -“ she paused then, struggling over a question that appeared to be on the very tip of her tongue for a moment before she sighed heavily and quickly composed herself, “I just wanted to ask if you’re okay?” 

“I’m fine,” Jughead said nonchalantly, “Why wouldn’t I be?” 

“I don’t know,” Betty said with a slight shrug, “I just noticed that you were a little more than upset when Archie and Veronica told us that they were moving to Paris.” 

Jughead sighed and continued to fiddle with the shell in his hands, remembering the other reason why he had been a little down as of late. He had spoken to Jellybean a few times since she had broken the news to him about Seattle and every time they spoke he would toy with idea of telling her how he felt only to back out at the last minute. He had no idea what to do about this whole situation which only made the prospect of talking to Betty about it all the more appealing. 

Maybe she would know. He hoped she would. 

“JB got accepted into college,” he glanced at Betty and sighed when he saw the slight frown on her face, “In Seattle.” 

“And ... I’m guessing you’re not happy about that?” 

Jughead forced out a laugh and ran his fingers through his hair, effectively removing his signature crown beanie in the process. He focused his somber gaze on the ocean then, watching as the waves rhythmically rolled and crashed against the shore. 

“I don’t know,” he said quietly, “A part of me is so incredibly happy for her, but a part of me isn’t as well. Does that make me a horrible person?” 

“No, definitely not!” Betty insisted at once. She shifted closer to him and ran one of her hands over his back soothingly, trying to comfort him as best she could, “When ... when did you find out?” she added. 

Jughead released a shaky breath he didn’t realise he was holding in and closed his eyes at her touch, allowing the temporary, but instant relief her words offered to wash over him and drench him to the bone before he answered. 

“That same day ... literally a few hours beforehand.” 

“Oh my god Jug,” Betty breathed, easily putting the pieces together that made it so obvious why he was upset that evening, “Why didn’t you say anything?” 

“I don’t know, maybe I was worried that it would come off as me being a little selfish,” he said with a light shrug, “All these amazing things are happening to the people I care about the most and all I can think about is how it’ll affect me.” 

“That doesn’t make you selfish Jug, it just makes you human. I’m not exactly thrilled about it either, remember?” 

“I know,” he said with a soft smile, “I guess you’re just better at hiding it than me.” 

“Well it is an art,” Betty smirked, “One I would be more than happy to show you ... for a price of course.” 

Jughead laughed at that and leaned into Betty’s side a little more, feeling undeniably better. She always did that. She had this unfailing ability to make anything and everything better and it was one of the many things he absolutely loved about her. They sat in silence for a moment, both of them watching the waves before Jughead spoke again

“I really am happy for them Betts, its just,” he paused and focused on the shell in his hands again, almost as if he were drawing strength from it somehow and sighed, “I guess I was always under this uncharacteristically naive impression that the four of us would always be together you know. That we’d still be playing monopoly and watching movies together every week in thirty years time and I know that ridiculous and that I’m being a little dramatic here, but in that moment when Veronica told us they were moving to Paris, I was convinced that that future might never happen. As for JB, I just made this promise to her a long time ago that I would always be there no matter what and I just don’t know how I’m going keep that promise if she’s all the way in Seattle.” 

“Well truthfully Jug, I don’t blame you for feeling this way and it’s not ridiculous or dramatic, it’s normal. You’ve always hated change, but you’ve always found a way to adapt to it,” she moved closer to him until there was barely any space between them, “Which I why I know you’ll figure it out and the best part is, you won’t have to do it alone, because I’m here to help you and I always will be.” 

Jughead looked at her with complete adulation, feeling his heart swell and thud against his chest rapidly. God, she was so beautiful. So incredible and so amazingly close to him. All he had to do was lean in just a little and he would be kissing her - something he so desperately wanted to do now. 

“Betts ...” he glanced at her lips and swallowed thickly when she glanced at his as well. He felt himself leaning in then, caught up in the euphoria of the moment, but before he could give in to it entirely he heard someone yelling their names - the unexpected sound forcing them to jump apart and effectively break the spell. 

“There you two are!” Veronica yelled from the front steps of the “Cabin”, “Come inside, breakfast is ready!” 

Jughead sighed heavily and clenched his jaw with frustration as he watched Veronica head back inside, wondering if she had any idea that she had just stopped the very thing she wanted to happen, from actually happening. 

He saw Betty stand up out the corner of his eye then and took her hand when she held it out for him. They smiled a little bashfully, but didn’t say anything as they gathered up the shells and carried them up to the house. 

Jughead thought that maybe he should say something, given what had almost transpired between them, but he quickly realised that this conversation - this important and potentially life changing conversation, could wait. 

Because if there was one thing he knew he wasn’t reading into anymore was that she had leaned in to kiss him, just as much as he had leaned in to kiss her. 

*~*~* 

Betty could barely breathe let alone think clearly throughout the entire length of breakfast. She picked at her food most of the time (taking a few bites to keep up appearances) but she barely registered anything else that was going on around her, because only one thing was on her mind right now. 

He had almost kissed her. Jughead Jones - her best friend and secret crush for almost ten years - had actually leaned in and almost kissed her. 

Every time she thought about it now it seem even more impossible than it had just a few seconds ago. She replayed the memory over and over again - trying to piece together exactly what had happened.

It was rarity on its own for Jughead to ever be in such a vulnerable state around people - even her, but when those moments did happen, Betty always listened with close attention and appreciated how significance they were. Which is why when he opened up and told her his personal dilemma with Jellybean and their friends sudden move to Paris, she could help but understand and feel sorry for him. 

Jughead thought that he was selfish because he didn’t want them to leave, because he didn’t want to lose some of the most constant and important people in his life, but Betty knew, better than most, that if there was one thing he hated more than anything it was change - especially when that change involved people he actually cared about. 

That was when she squashed his little self loathing party and quickly told him that he was human like everyone else - like her, because she wasn’t thrilled about Archie and Veronica moving away either, because she didn’t want to lose two of her closest friends either. She promised to help him figure it out though. In what ever way she could. 

That was when the moment happened. 

All she could really remember was her heart thumping loudly in ears at a ridiculous rate and the avid look in his eyes when something tangible shifted between them, drawing them together. He leaned in then, close until their lips mere inches apart before Veronica promptly showed up and burst that bubble ... much to Betty’s complete and utter dismay.

She sighed heavily at the thought. So close and yet so far. 

“Earth to B!” Veronica said, finally gaining Betty’s attention when she snapped her fingers in front of her face. 

Suddenly aware of everything around her again, Betty gave her head a slight shake and blushed with mild embarrassment when she noticed that everyone was staring at her now, including Jughead. 

“Sorry V, I was just thinking about something ... what did you say?” 

“I ask if you’re sure you don’t want to come with us into town?” Veronica said, this time eying her friend curiously. 

“Oh no V, I’ll stay here. I really just want to read and relax for once.” she glanced at Jughead who hadn’t stopped staring at her this whole time. She flushed a little under his unwavering stare, but kept herself remarkably composed somehow. 

“Alright suit yourself.” Veronica said with a shrug, helping herself to another pancake. 

 

Archie and Veronica left an hour later, leaving Betty and Jughead alone in the massive house together. 

Despite her eagerness to know what this morning meant, Betty did exactly what she said she would do. She fetched her (or rather Jughead’s) copy of Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, found a nice, cozy spot in the living room with the best ocean view and read most of the day away. 

Jughead went up to his room initially but after about an hour or two, he eventually joined her in the living room, spending most of his day typing away on his laptop rather than reading. They didn’t say much to each other, beyond offering each other something to drink or snack on and by the time lunch arrived Betty was so preoccupied with how to handle the white elephant in the room with them, that she had reread the same page more than a few times in the last hour. 

Surprisingly, the conversation when they sat down to eat lunch together, flowed incredibly well to the point where they were smiling and even laughing. There was no awkwardness or discomfort, both of them acting as if that almost kiss on the beach this morning hadn’t actually happened, which made Betty wonder if it affected him just as much as it affected her. 

She got her answer though later on that afternoon when Veronica, fresh from a mini shopping spree in town, came home and immediately suggested that they all go for a little early evening swim in the pool. 

Admittedly, Betty owed a large part of her success to her knowledgeable raven haired best friend, who had suggested without hesitation that she wear her black bikini instead of her one piece, staring quite simply that; 

“This is Rockridge, B ... You either wear a Bikini or nothing else!” 

Naturally, despite the minor insecurities she had regarding her body, listening to Veronica turned out to be one of the best decisions Betty had ever made. 

 

Archie and Jughead were already in the pool, laughing and throwing a football back and forth between each other, by the time Betty and Veronica finally came down to join them. 

All it took was a spilt second, when Jughead stared at her, completely awestruck, for far too long so that the football ended up hitting him square in the face, for Betty to confirm that the affect from their moment on the beach this morning was completely mutual and that thought alone was enough to make her feel that all too familiar sense of hope once again. 

She couldn’t help but smile and bite back the giggle in her throat as she watched Jughead rub the side of his face gingerly while also trying to ignore Archie’s playful jabs from the other end of the pool. 

She also didn’t stop herself from looking at him, taking in the way the strands of his jet black hair flopped into his his eyes when it was wet or the way his lean, but still well defined torso moved as he joked around with Archie in the water. Sure, he wasn’t toned like Archie, but he was still incredibly nice to look at - it was definitely something she would never get tired of seeing. 

Needless to say, Jughead didn’t take his eyes off her for the rest of the evening either - something Betty became acutely aware of very quickly. She would catch him staring at her sometimes, but unlike before he didn’t bother to look away immediately or even try to pretend that he wasn’t blatantly looking at her beforehand. 

It was all a little overwhelming, to the point where Betty still couldn’t believe that anything that had happened today had actually happened. Before if you had asked if she thought she would ever have a shot with Jughead, she probably would’ve said “I don’t know.” 

Now though she couldn’t be to sure. 

It was maddening to think about actually, but in the best possible way and she couldn’t wait to see where they could potentially take this connection between them one day. 

She blushed madly at the thought and didn’t even try to hide it this time. She didn’t care .... not anymore. 

 

It was only much later on that Betty was almost tempted to find out. 

After swimming in the pool and lounging around it well into the early hours of the evening, they all went inside, had dinner and spent the rest of the evening talking and playing board games together until they were too tired to stay awake any longer. 

They all trudged up to their rooms- Archie and Veronica first with Betty and Jughead following close behind. 

When she finally reached her bedroom door, Betty paused before she went inside, deciding in a moment of pure bravery to maybe confront the tension that was stewing between them now. She turned around and smiled when she saw that Jughead standing outside his door as well as if he had something to say to her too. 

“I had a lot of fun today.” Betty said with a soft smile. Jughead smiled at her crookedly and rubbed the back of his neck a little self consciously. 

“So did I,” he said quietly, “A lot was said and done today.” 

“And a lot wasn’t.” she said back just as quietly. He snapped his eyes up to hers at once and she saw him swallow noticeably around the lump that was undoubtedly in his throat. 

“Maybe ... maybe we can talk about it some day?” 

He looked at her then, really looked at her. His blue eyes swimming with all the words he couldn’t say right now but desperately wanted too. She got the message though. Loud and clear and it made her already awestruck heart stutter uncontrollably in her chest at the thought of what this could all mean. 

“I’d like that Juggie,” Betty smiled, “I’d really like that.” 

She said goodnight to him then and was about to turn back to her room when Jughead suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her, the feel of his warm skin touching hers causing an unexpected jolt of electricity to course through her veins. 

“I forgot to give this back to you.” 

She watched with baited curiosity as Jughead held out his hand then, revealing the small spiral shaped shell he had taken from her pile earlier and she smiled at the sight. He really was too much sometimes. 

“Thanks Jug, but you can keep it.” 

“Are you sure?” he asked, looking a little surprised and unsure of himself. 

“I’m sure, I’ve got an entire collection remember.” 

“Right,” Jughead said with a light chuckle, “Thanks Betty. I guess I’ll l see you in the morning.” 

“Yes you definitely will ... sleep well Juggie.” she whispered, giving him one last smile before she went into her room and closed the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are always appreciated!! Xx


	5. Bonfire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here’s chapter Five ... and the moment you’ve all been waiting for!! ;) Xx 
> 
> Also, thank you so much for love you guys have shown this story so far!! I’m completely overwhelmed by it every time!!! :) Xx 
> 
> PS, please forgive me for any mistakes ... I’ve had one hell of a week!
> 
>  

Jughead stared at the shell in his hands, admiring it as he twirled it around aimlessly with his fingers. 

It was beautiful. Even in the vague moonlight that barely filled his room, he could see and appreciate its many defining aspects. How smooth it was. The soft colours that stained it and the distinct lines that made up its swirling shape. He had spent half the night staring at it instead of sleeping. Completely lost in own thoughts. 

There was a lot of symbolism in a shell. 

In its normal setting it was a natural sanctuary, designed for no other purpose than to protect a small, defenseless sea creature in its hour of need, but despite its obvious strength and sturdiness, it was also delicate and fragile to handle - easy to break or ware down when thrown into the right circumstances. 

A shell was essentially like a heart he realised - vital in keeping you alive, but exceptionally easy to break - and he couldn't help but wonder if that was why Betty loved them so much, because they represented her to a certain extent. He had never asked her that question before, but the mere fact that she had let him keep one of her prized shells suddenly made him curious to find out. 

After their little conversation in the hallway and deciding to reluctantly (for him anyway) part ways for the evening, Jughead had spent the rest of the evening thinking about her and every detail of the moments that had passed between them throughout the day. From the their soft, heart to heart conversation on the beach that morning to their almost kiss which was so rudely interrupted by Veronica to their awestruck moment at the pool when she arrived. He replayed every single second of them, unable to stop himself from feeling completely disappointed that nothing had actually transpired between them. 

He had been so close, so incredibly close to kissing her twice now, once on the beach and then once more right before they went to bed. He wanted to kiss her so badly that it was all he could think about now. 

Jughead placed the shell on his beside table and checked the time on his phone then, sighing when he saw that it was half past two in the morning and that there were still no messages from Betty. He had hoped, a little foolishly perhaps, that she would ask him to come and help her fall asleep again, but sadly, she had been radio silent all evening which only added the days growing list of disappointments. 

It was a little scary how much he craved her presence all of a sudden more than he ever had before in the past, his insides twisting with so much built up longing now that he could hardly stand it. 

He had even reached a point earlier where he considered sending her a text instead, literally looking for any excuse he could find to simply be near her again, but like so many times before, life just refused to give him what he wanted when he wanted it the most. 

Jughead sighed heavily then and clicked his phone off, sadly resigning himself to spending the night alone, in his own room and his own bed before he closed his eyes and pretended to fall asleep. 

*

Jughead felt like he had barely closed his eyes, let alone fallen asleep, when he heard his bedroom door suddenly open. 

Half awake but still clearly exhausted, he slowly opened his eyes and sighed when he saw none other than Archie Andrews standing before him, with a playful, shit eating smile plastered all over his face. Jughead glared at his friend for moment before he groaned internally and closed his eyes again, thinking that this was the last thing he wanted or especially needed right now. 

Because what he really wanted and needed right now was a certain blonde who occupied his every thought now. 

"Good morning sunshine," Archie said with way to much enthusiasm for the early morning, "You planning on getting up at some point?" 

"Not unless I have an exceptionally good reason too," Jughead grumbled. He yawned and sat up slowly then, rubbing the residual sleep from his eyes, "What time is it anyway?" 

"Almost half past eight and while I know that's ridiculously early for you we do have a couple of things to take care of before tonight." 

"Tonight? What's happening tonight?" Jughead asked with a slight frown, wondering what the hell had he missed now. 

"Seriously, did you not hear a word Ronnie said last night?" Archie said incredulously. He gave Jughead a moment to think and frowned when he didn't say anything, "The bonfire ... Remember?" 

Jughead groaned immediately and fell back onto his pillows as dreads of last night conversation slowly filled his mind again. Truthfully he had been so distracted by Betty smiling at him and walking around in her never before seen black bikini, that he could hardly remember one word Veronica had said all evening, however, he could vaguely recall, somewhere in the back of his mind, her mentioning a bonfire - something he was certain he would end up despising like he always did when it came to Veronica and her hear ideas. 

"Sounds to me like you remember," Archie chuckled, "So get your butt out of bed and meet me downstairs. We've got some work to do buddy." 

*

Turns out, Archie wasn't kidding, they actually had a lot of work to do. 

First they had to dig a pit on the beach for the bonfire. Then they had to clean and scrub down the grill so that Archie could also use it later. Afterwards they had to chop up a decent amount of wood for the fire and finally, they had to find some large pieces of driftwood scattered somewhere across the beach for them to sit on along with a few pieces of smaller ones for them to burn as well. 

Jughead didn't mind the hard work, in fact, he welcomed it with open arms especially because it offered him the perfect distraction from his mind and the Betty-Cooper-filled-thoughts that buzzed around inside it on an agonizingly constant loop. 

What he didn't like was having to walk around in shorts, but when he came downstairs wearing his usual jeans, flannel and boots, Archie had simply laughed before sending him straight back up stairs, demanding that he change into something a little bit more .... appropriate for the days events. 

So here he was in his classic "S" T- shirt, barefoot and in a pair of shorts, carrying a heavy chunk of driftwood with Archie along the beach under the hot, early afternoon sun, sweating a little profusely under the wool of his crown beanie which he simply refused to take off and leave behind. 

He was just glad that both Betty and Veronica were in town getting some supplies for tonight and weren't here to see him like this. Of course, he'd worn swimming trunks around them before on more than a few occasions throughout the years of friendship they shared, but everyone knew that seeing Jughead Jones in a pair of shorts, walking around during the day no less, was an incredibly rare sight.

Luckily they were on a private beach in a secluded part of Upstate New York, so the chances of being seen by total strangers, who would probably judge him without hesitation, were basically slim to none. 

As they approached the fire pit they had dug out in the sand earlier, they placed the driftwood on the ground and took a quick moment to breathe and relax. Jughead sat down on the log and, like he had been doing all day, he glanced back towards "The Cabin", feeling a stinging pinch of disappointment twist in his chest when he saw that Archie's truck was still gone, meaning that the girls weren't back yet. 

After spending basically the entire evening thinking about her, it wasn't difficult to feel mildly disappointed when he didn't get a chance to see the real thing before she left this morning with Veronica. He missed her  
a lot which was kind of ridiculous when he thought about it, but he just couldn't seem to help himself. Not after the recent revelation he'd had about his feelings for her and the big decision he'd made regarding them. 

Maybe if he got a chance tonight he might find enough courage within himself to finally tell her how he felt and maybe finish what they started on the beach. 

"Hey Jug, can I ask you something?" Archie asked from his spot on the sand, the sound of his voice snapping Jughead back to reality immediately. 

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Jughead said, chuckling when Archie gave him a look similar to the one Betty had given him yesterday, "We've been best friends for years Arch, you can ask me anything." 

Archie smiled at that, grateful to know that their years and years of friendship hadn’t been ruined by the sometimes obvious and potentially damaging differences between them. 

It was easy to see why this would be so surprising. 

Archie Andrews was the standard all American teen - a combination of hot, funny, kind and charming. He was the star football player, who also loved to play music and he was lucky enough to actually come from a healthy and well respected North Side family, making him nearly every girls walking fantasy. 

Jughead Jones on the other hand, was the exact opposite. 

He was simply a loner or to some he was a even a weirdo. Molded and shaped by the harsh realities of The Southside. He drifted through high school completely invisible to most, with a broken family to not come home too at the end of the day and an untamed passion for reading and writing. 

They shouldn't work in any spectrum of the word, but by some miracle they did. 

"Okay," Archie sighed, shifting a little nervously, "Don't get mad, but do you really have a thing for Betty?" 

Jughead blinked a few times in disbelief and felt his jaw drop a little, still trying to piece together exactly what he had just heard. "So much for the facts being obvious to everyone Veronica." Jughead thought with a smirk. 

"I'm only asking because I thought Ronnie was just playing in the car on the way up here, but then I saw the way you looked at Betty last night and I thought ... well maybe she wasn't." Archie paused then, giving Jughead a chance to squash that thought into non existence, but when he didn't, the redhead simply nodded, quickly putting two and two together. "Why didn't you say anything before?" he asked. 

"I don't know," Jughead said with a shrug, leaning forward slightly and resting his elbows on his knees, "I guess I thought it was always pretty obvious, you know. I mean, it's not that I didn't trust you Arch, I just -" 

"- No," Archie interrupted, shaking his head from side to side, "I don't mean, why didn't tell me before - I meant why haven't you told her?" 

"You're kidding me right?" Jughead said with a laugh, "Why do you think I haven't told her?"  

"Okay, I get that you're afraid you'll lose her, but seriously Jug you can't do this to yourself. I mean, how long have you actually liked her?" 

Jughead sighed heavily and closed his eyes, wincing slightly when he rubbed his fingers over the area where the ball had smacked in the face because he had been too distracted by Betty to see it coming. It felt a little weird talking about all of this, but he couldn't deny that it also felt so amazing to finally get this off his chest as well. 

"Since high school. Senior year." 

Archie raised in eyebrows in shock and disbelief.  

"Jeez Jug, no offense man, but you seriously need to stop sleeping on this and just tell her already, because even though your worried, I can tell you now I've never seen you look at a girl the way you looked at Betty last night. Not even Sabrina, who was by far one of the best looking girls you ever went out with." he paused then and smirked slightly, "And if you think she doesn't like you back, trust me, as someone who had quite a few encounters with opposite sex before Ronnie arrived, I can promise you right now that she's into you, but I think you know that already. Just like you know she won't always be waiting around for you to make a move." 

Jughead nodded slowly and sighed again, because knew Archie was right. He was fairly certain now that Betty returned his feelings, especially after their moment on the beach yesterday. It was just a matter of timing now and finding the courage to finally say what he had been wanting to and meaning say for years. 

"Just think about it, alright?" Archie said quietly, patting his friend on the shoulder as he stood up then, "Come on man, let's get that other log." 

Jughead let his friend walk ahead for a moment before he finally stood up and followed after him, unable to get twelve words out of his head as he walked now. 

"She won't always be waiting around for you to make a move." 

*~*~*

Betty sighed heavily as she looked through the pile of shirts she had packed for the trip again, trying to decide which one she should wear to the bonfire tonight. 

Initially when Veronica had first suggested having a bonfire on the beach, Betty had jumped on board with the idea almost immediately and without even thinking about it. Now though, as reality settled in and they drew closer and closer to actually having one, it was all she could think about. Apprehension and discomfort towards the whole idea gripped her heart tightly like a vice and it had everything to do with her raven haired friends recent and rather suspicious behavior. 

After an evening spent thinking and then dreaming about Jughead and just wanting to be near him again, Betty had sadly spent a good chunk of the following day away from him while she got supplies with Veronica in town. He never strayed far from her thoughts though and she often found herself thinking about him, more and more frequently than she ever had before. 

She pictured him and the way he looked at her now - first on the beach, then at the pool and again right before they went to bed. It was the same intense, desire filled gaze that ghosted his hauntingly blue eyes for pretty much the entire evening, distracting him so much that Betty felt like she was the only thing he saw or even cared about sometimes. 

Naturally, this only made him even more handsome and desirable in her eyes, to point where she had almost sent him a text, asking him to come and help her sleep again like he had the other night, for no other reason than just wanting to be near him again. 

It made her blush when she thought about it now. She missed him when he wasn't around (which wasn't new) but it seemed crazy to her that she could actually be the only thing that really captured his attention. That she actually had that kind of an affect on him. But it was also incredibly hard to deny or even ignore as well, which is why it shouldn't have surprised Betty too much when Veronica eventually brought it up with her. 

The conversation ran the way most conversations between them about Betty's feelings for Jughead went these days. 

Veronica would patiently wait for the right moment before suggestively and playfully bringing it up. Betty would wordlessly confirm that she knew what Veronica was insinuating, but would ultimately and falsely deny that it meant what her raven haired friend was implying. Veronica would groan then and completely object before desperately urging Betty to at least try and find out if it did or didn't mean what she hoped it did. 

After years of having conversations like this Betty knew exactly what to expect, but this time she had noticed something different and potentially nerve wracking - a dangerously mischievous look that took shape in Veronica's dark brown eyes when she eventually decided to agree with her friend and drop the conversation. 

Betty had seen that look before on more than a few occasions and she knew from experience, that whatever followed could either be really good or really bad. The fact that Veronica hadn't mentioned it since, didn't comfort her in the slightest. 

"B!" Veronica said through the door, knocking a few times to get her attention, "Are you ready yet? The fires burning and Archie's finished cooking the food." 

"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute." Betty said. She sighed heavily then and chose to wear a pair of denim shorts and a white t shirt. She tied her hair up into her signature neat ponytail and quickly left the room, thinking that she had stalled the evening and its unpredictable, but unavoidable events long enough. 

*

Everyone was already sitting near the bonfire when Betty emerged from the cabin and made her way down onto the beach. 

Like any beach fire it was big and impressive to look at, up close and from a distance as well. Everyone greeted her as she approached and Betty couldn't help but smile just a little when she noticed that Jughead was staring at her intently again and the only open seat was next to him on the large piece of driftwood he was sitting on close to the fire. 

They spoke animatedly while they ate a simple dinner of hot dogs and Veronica mentioned wanting to go to the town's local bar for drinks at some point - an idea everyone seemed to like. 

All in all the evening was going exceptionally well, so well in fact, that Betty had completely forgotten about her previous worries and allowed herself to enjoy the festivities. Her biggest highlight so far (apart from seeing Jughead in a pair of shorts, which was an amusing, but incredibly rare sight) was when he noticed that she was a little cold and gave her his hoodie to wear without even asking her if she wanted it. 

The action itself was so simple, but the warm look in his eyes when he did it made her blush and shiver again, but for a completely different reason this time. She kept glancing at him as the evening passed, wondering if an opportunity for her to come clean about her feelings for him would finally present itself at some point. 

She hoped that it would, because after the last few days and every significant thing that had happened, she wanted nothing more than to take Veronica's advice for once and just try. 

Fortunately for her, an opportunity presented itself towards the end of the evening when a slightly inebriated Veronica asked Archie, who was in pretty much the same condition as her, to go on a walk with her along the beach. 

Being about as subtle as a very large gun, Veronica stood up then and winked at the two of them before making her way down the beach with Archie at her side, effectively leaving Betty and Jughead alone - something which didn't calm her already present nerves in the slightest. She managed to keep herself remarkably composed though - one of the few useful side affects from her repugnant childhood. 

"Would you like another beer?" Jughead asked suddenly, noticing the now empty can in her hands. Betty nodded and smiled happily when he took it from her and threw it away in the rubbish bag. A moment later he came back with two fresh ones and she smiled crookedly when he handed one to her and sat back down. 

They watched the fire for a while, feeling the distinct heat warm them and Betty smiled when she noticed the faint colours the flames had taken on because of the driftwood. For whatever reason, seeing that calmed her down a moment, the sometimes unfamiliar sensation washing over her easily. 

Despite her previous fears from before, tonight had been amazing and so much fun, mostly because she had spent it with him - every second of their shared time together only serving to remind her of what she had been feeling for so long already.

"I swear they never got out of the honeymoon phase." Jughead said then, chuckling lightly as he gestured towards their two drunk best friends who were now tumbling around in the sand together. 

"I honestly don't think they ever will," Betty giggled as well, trying to ignore that annoying discomfort she always felt in her chest whenever she saw Archie and Veronica being ridiculously cute together, "God, I sometimes wish I had what they have." 

"What, an intolerance for alcohol? Because we've literally only had like four beers each." 

Betty laughed and bumped Jughead's shoulder playfully with hers. "You know what I mean Jug." 

He nodded and smiled at her softly. 

"I do," he said quietly, fidgeting with the unopened beer in his hands, "I guess I always thought you'd experienced that with Reggie or Trevor." 

"I thought I had too, but I realised after I broke up with them that what we had was barely a drop in the ocean compared to what Archie and Veronica have. I mean, they would die for each other Jug. I've never been lucky enough to experience that before." 

Despite what she had allowed herself to think at the time of her break ups, Betty knew that the only people who were at fault in her previous relationships were her ex boyfriends; Reggie Mantel and Trevor Brown, both of whom turned out to be too good to be true. 

"They were both idiots." Jughead said with clear hatred and disgust. He'd never been massive fans of her ex boyfriends, something Betty always found mildly amusing. 

"Thanks Jug," Betty said with a soft smile, "But sometimes I can’t help but think that maybe I was too vanilla. That maybe they weren't complete idiots, you know?"

"No, I don't," Jughead said heatedly and with clear disbelief, abandoning his beer in the sand when he turned to face her properly, "Please, don't ever say that again Betty. They were idiots. Both of them! Because whether you believe it or not, they both had something unique and truly amazing right in front of them and they were dumb enough to let it slip through their fingers!" he paused and ran his fingers through his hair, pulling his beanie off as he went, "You're incredible Betts and you deserve so much more than either of them." 

"Jug -" Betty said quietly. 

"-No Betty," Jughead brought his hands up to her face then, forcing her to look at him, "You did nothing wrong ... you never have, okay?" 

Betty nodded slowly and didn't take her eyes off him, still trying to convince herself that everything he had said. That everything that had just happened was actually real.

She swallowed thickly then and tried in vain to slow her rapid heart rate when he dropped his darkened eyes down to her lips again, his thumbs slowly and gently caressing her cheeks now. 

"Jug ..." Betty started to say, her voice barely above a whisper, but she was cut off when he suddenly moved and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her with everything he had cascading through him. 

Betty whimpered into the kiss as soon as their lips connected, surprised and completely overwhelmed by all the intense emotions that were now coursing through her veins. She melted into him at once, kissing him back immediately and without a hint of hesitation. She brought one of her hands up to his and held onto it for dear life while their lips continued to mold and move together effortlessly. 

It was soft and slow and felt so incredibly amazing. Better than she had ever imagined. So much so, that Betty was almost convinced that she was dreaming, but she couldn't be, because this felt too real. Too amazing to be some figment of her imagination. 

No, this was real. This was really happening ... she wouldn't let herself question it or believe otherwise. 

When they finally pulled apart, after what felt like ages, Betty took a deep, steadying breath and felt her lips curl into wide, megawatt smile. She opened her eyes then, just in time to see Jughead sitting in front of her, eyes still closed, as he smiled too and exhaled with clear and obvious relief. Almost as if he’d been struggling to breathe this whole time. 

She would've asked him to explain what had just happened. To clarify what it all meant. If it meant anything at all, but the sudden return of their two completely oblivious friends forced them apart and prevented her from doing so. She knew they would talk about eventually. In fact, she didn’t have a single doubt in her mind that they would. Not anymore. 

In any case, Betty Cooper didn't stop smiling for rest of the evening and unsurprisingly, neither did Jughead Jones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts and comments are always appreciated!! :) Xx


	6. Actions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Actions speak louder than words ... enough said!! ;) 
> 
> Enjoy the chapter and please forgive me for any mistakes!!

Jughead Jones had never been much of a drinker. He had never been one to jump into the party scene either, but he was prepared to put up with it most of the time for the sake of his friends. 

“The night is still young my friends!” 

That’s exactly what he heard a drunk and overexcited Veronica yell right before he found himself sitting behind the wheel of Archie’s truck, agreeing (for some bizarre reason) to drive them all to the local bar in town to essentially keep the evening going. 

Surprisingly, Conway’s Portside Bar was nice enough though. 

The atmosphere was fun and electric, but wasn’t loud or even obnoxious enough to make him feel out of place or uncomfortable amongst the overzealous crowd of people. Veronica had reassured them earlier that it wouldn’t be out of control, but Jughead knew better than most to trust her word. After all they clearly had very different ideas of what could be considered loud or obnoxious. 

On any other night he would be more than happy to be here. To stand off to the side and watch the festivities, maybe have a beer and talk to any of his friends if they happened to drift back to the bar table they’d managed to snag, but tonight he was frustrated beyond words, because all he wanted right now was to be alone with a certain blonde whose soft and tender lips had been pressed against his less than two hours ago. 

He watched her now with a mixture of awe and mild discontent as she moved around the small karaoke stage with Veronica, singing Black Velvet by Alannah Myles, and somehow he managed to resist the sudden, but mad urge he had coursing through him to match over there and yank her off the stage so that he could kiss her again. 

The fact that he had kissed her in the first place was incredible and a miracle on its own. They had been sitting near the bonfire together, watching their drunk friends play-wrestle in the sand when she suddenly mentioned how she actually blamed herself for the failures of her past relationships. Something that outraged him completely. How could Betty Cooper (spectacular and beautiful beyond words) believe that it was her fault, when the only people who were at fault in his opinion were the scum bags who were lucky enough to even call her theirs at some point. 

He had told her otherwise, forcing her to look at him while he reassured her that she had done absolutely nothing wrong and he remembered feeling remarkably calm when she finally nodded her head in agreement. 

That’s when he saw it. The intense and overwhelming look that was growing steadily in those gorgeous green eyes of hers. It was an unspoken question, one he answered almost immediately by throwing caution to wind and summing up enough courage so that he could finally lean in and kiss her, the way he’d wanted to for so long now. 

It was better then he could ever have imagined, her lips so unbelievably soft and delicate against his that it seemed completely unreal at first. But it was real. Every amorous second of it and even now after a couple of hours had passed, he could still feel them, moving over his mouth like she’d been doing it for years. 

Jughead froze then and swallowed thickly when he suddenly noticed that she was looking at him, that the intense, yearning look in her eyes and that breathtaking smile on her face was all because of him. It made something new and terrifying but also exciting stir and take shape inside him. 

A deep, but unfamiliar sense of desire. One he couldn’t and didn’t want to ignore now even if he had to. 

The room erupted into a wail of loud applause and ecstatic cheers as Betty and Veronica finished their number and slowly descended the from the stage. Jughead took this as a sign. As an opportunity, but before he could even take one single step towards her, a more than tipsy Archie, suddenly materialized out of the blue with their next round of drinks. 

“Are you sure you don’t want a beer?” Archie yelled over the background noise, “I’m pretty sure you won’t get caught all the way out here.” 

“I’m good, thanks man.” Jughead said, gladly accepting the coke Archie had gotten for him instead. He knew that his friend was probably right. He guessed that the chances of being caught in such an isolated area were in fact slim to none, but the idea of driving drunk just wasn’t appealing to him in the slightest. Besides, he didn’t want to be inhibited in anyway. Not when he had so much left that he wanted to do tonight. 

He caught sight of Veronica making her way towards them through the crowd and a miserable sigh escaped from his lips when Archie stepped into view and scooped her up in his arms, kissing her in front of everyone and without restraint. 

Just another reminder of how much of a coward he could be sometimes. 

He looked at Betty then and smiled softly when he saw her standing alone for a moment, idly texting someone on her phone. God she looked beautiful. So much so that it stunned him a little. He wasn’t sure why it even surprise him though. He always thought she looked incredible. No matter the time or the the setting. 

He was about to step towards her. To seize his opportunity to confront what had been slowly brewing inside him since their spontaneous bonfire kiss, but his rapid surge of confidence floundered for a second when he saw a stranger - an annoyingly tall and good looking stranger - suddenly approach and try to strike up a conversation with her. 

Jealousy wasn’t a common feeling for Jughead. In all his twenty four years he had hardly ever experienced it, but there was a first time for everything and in that moment he felt it more harshly than he ever had before. Sure, he technically had no right to intercede or to even think about interceding, but when Betty thankfully caught his eye and gave him ‘the look’ he squared his shoulders and immediately sprang into action. 

He had done this for her before more than once - swooping in to save her without a second thought whenever she was approached by someone who just didn’t meet the mark, which he noticed seemed to happen quite a lot. It made him feel a little smug as he approached them with both his drink and her drink in his hands now, clearing his throat just a little as he prepared to rain down hard on this poor saps unsuspecting parade. 

Jughead drew closer, feeling the pin of jealousy twist in his heart just a little bit more when the stranger laughed and touched Betty’s arm, making her giggle a little nervously in response. He clenched his jaw at the sight and immediately picked up the pace, his ire growing stronger and stronger by the second. 

“There you are babe!” Jughead said, his voice loud enough to startle both Betty and the unwanted stranger. She composed herself quickly though and let out a sigh of obvious relief when she saw him, accepting the drink he had for her with ease, “I’ve been looking for you all over the place.” he added with a smile. 

This was the part where he would usually slip his arm around her waist and pull her close and maybe even kiss her cheek, sending out a very clear message that she was taken, but this time round, Jughead had something else in mind. 

He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close as expected, but when he leaned in this time, he connected his lips soundly with hers instead of pressing them against the soft skin on her cheek. He felt her tense with shock for a moment, but it melted away as quickly as it had appeared and before he knew it she was kissing him back, even going as far as to slip her free arm around his waist to pull him closer to her as well. 

Naturally, that action alone brought him a tremendous amount of happiness and relief. 

“Sorry Juggie,” Betty said a little breathlessly when they pulled apart eventually, “My mom was texting me, but I was just about to come and find you.” 

She smiled at him bashfully then, a faint blush creeping up her neck and cheeks, which only made his already present grin broaden. He tightened his arm around her waist in response, keeping her close. Caught up in the moment, Jughead allowed himself to have one last look at her, letting his eyes travel over her alluring features one more time before he reluctantly turned his attention to the now bewildered stranger standing before them. 

“Who’s this?” he asked casually and with just a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. 

“Oh sorry,” Betty said with a giggle and mild embarrassment, “Jughead this is Chris ... Chris this is my boyfriend Jughead.” 

Even though it wasn’t strictly true, hearing Betty call him her boyfriend especially after everything that had happened between them recently, did something extraordinary to him and he couldn’t help but relish just a little in the miffed look that flashed in Chris’ eyes when he realised that he wasn’t going to get what he wanted here. He bid them both goodnight a little curtly then before stalking off to the opposite end of the room, most likely in search of someone else. 

As soon as he was gone, Betty closed her eyes and leaned into Jughead’s side a little more, resting her head against his shoulder. 

“Thanks for doing that Jug.” she said after a moment, clearly relieved. 

“No need to thank me Betts, I saw the panic in your eyes and didn’t give it a second thought.” Jughead chuckled lightly, but instead of pulling away like he usually did - like he was supposed to. He kept her close until she finally broke away from him a few minutes later, putting a little space between them but not enough to separate them entirely. 

She looked at him closely then and he could see that there were questions she wanted to ask him, lingering on the very fringe of her brain and on the very tip of her tongue. He realised that now might be the best time ever for him to bring up and confront what had happened between them earlier. 

“So listen Betts ... About - about what happened ... between us earlier back at the bonfire ...” he paused when he saw Betty noticeably swallow around a lump in her throat, her stark green eyes starting to grow with clear and raw anticipation, but before he could continue - as his luck would have it - an unwanted guest suddenly arrived and ultimately ruined the moment. 

“B!” Veronica yelled as she popped up right in between them, her voice unnecessarily loud and right in Jughead’s ear making him cringe away from her, “Archie got us a round of shots so get your butt back to the table now!” 

“Alright V, I’ll be there in a sec.” Betty said, smiling crookedly as she watched her friend nod vigorously before making her way back to the table and Archie. 

Jughead sighed and clenched his jaw with obvious frustration. What the hell is with Veronica and her sudden need to interrupt every single moment he had with Betty now? he thought bitterly. 

“Jug,” Betty said quietly. He felt her fingers brush along the hard line of his jaw and for some reason he relaxed, letting out a defeated sigh when he did. He looked at her and smiled when she did, unable to help himself. “We’ll talk about all of this soon, okay?” 

He nodded wordlessly, feeling his body fill with hope and pure warmth when she smiled at him with promise, smoothed a hand over his chest a few times and even kissed his cheek. 

He watched her walk away then with a heavy sigh - reminding himself that he could wait for that moment with her just a little bit longer. He’d been waiting for years already. What’s a few more hours? 

*

Unfortunately, that moment didn’t come exactly when he expected it too. 

Instead of having his long awaited moment with Betty where he could finally and properly express his feelings for her, Jughead found himself slowly guiding Archie by the arm back to his truck while Betty dutifully helped Veronica (who had started throwing up beforehand) by practically carrying her to the car as well. 

Throughout the entire drive back to the cabin, Jughead managed to convince himself that once Archie and Veronica had been taken care of that he and Betty would finally have their moment in the sun together. He sighed and shifted in his seat, feeling his stomach knot with built up heat and anticipation. 

Sadly though, while Archie managed to stumble up stairs and promptly fall asleep on his bed as soon as he got back, Veronica’s situation turned out to be a little more complicated and unfortunately required Betty’s attention. 

Jughead remembered her giving him a sad and apologetic look while she helped Veronica down the hall and he sighed with disappointment, resigning himself to his room and to yet another night where his intensely wound up feelings and his true intentions would continue to remain bottled up. 

This landed him exactly where he was right now, lying alone in his bed while bitterly thinking that he had to be the unluckiest person in world at the moment. 

It had been at least two hours since they had gotten back from the bar and he sill couldn’t sleep or stop himself from thinking about Betty and how badly he wanted to tell her how he felt, his feelings for her even more acute since the second kiss they’d shared and reciprocated back at the bar. 

He groaned at the thought, feeling his stomach tense and stir with tangible heat for what felt like the millionth time that evening. Now that he had actually tasted her, he couldn’t think about anything else. How much he wanted to kiss her and touch her. To and show her how he felt about her in every way he possibly could. He couldn’t stop thinking about how much he wanted her. 

With a loud and frustrated huff, Jughead finally snapped and threw back the restrictive bed covers, heading straight for his bedroom door as soon as he got the chance. He wasn’t sure if she would even be in her room or not, but after hours of being let down and screwed around at every turn, he was done waiting. 

With his heart beating rapidly in his chest and ears, he opened his bedroom door and quickly stepped into dark and empty hallway. He was about to close the door behind him and turn around when he sensed that he wasn’t actually alone. 

He looked up then and his breath hitched in his throat when he saw Betty standing before him, in her pajamas with her bedroom door open as well. He stood still then, wondering what she was doing. Was she as frustrated as him about all of this? Was she about to come to him as well? 

They stared at each other silently for a moment, trying to interpret what was happening right now or what they could possibly say to each other and with every second that passed, Jughead felt himself grow more and more confident in his decision to stop waiting and just go after her simply by the way she was looking at him now. 

Intensely. Like she wanted him as much as he wanted her. 

He closed his bedroom door then and exhaled shakily, trying to compose himself as best he could before he took a leap of faith and closed the small space between, kissing her both thoroughly and passionately as soon as he managed to settle his lips over hers - deciding in that exact moment, that actions would undoubtedly speak louder than words. 

*~*~* 

When Veronica finally stopped throwing up and Betty managed to get her to fall asleep. She crept back to her room, exhausted, but not quite ready for bed.

Normally Betty would’ve gone straight to bed, but tonight was different and rightly so after every significant thing that had happened. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that not only had Jughead Jones (her crush for almost a decade now) kissed her once - he had kissed her twice now and all within the space of a couple of hours. 

Each time she had been caught off guard - first at the bonfire and then again at the bar when he had come to her rescue like he had so many times before - but the incredible sensation that came with kissing him quickly overruled any other feeling she had inside her. She felt her stomach tighten with desperation and want at the thought, her mind replaying each life changing moment in her head on a constant loop. 

She had noticed him staring at her throughout the course to the evening, his eyes filled with that same fervid look that overwhelmed her and stirred the long dormant heat inside her every time. She was aware of him and everything he did, especially the way he had held her during their little game of pretend with Chris, blushing madly at the thought now of him keeping his arm tight around her waist so that she was always impossibly close to him. 

It was exceptionally easy for Betty to see that Jughead had been itching to talk to her ever since the bonfire and if she was being completely honest, she was aching to talk to him as well, but every time they tried to get a moment alone, some kind of obstacle would present itself or be thrown in their path, effectively keeping the impending conversation at bay once again. 

She wondered if he was still awake, even now as she lay awake, alone in her bed she was almost tempted to message him and find out, but every time she started to type out a message she would stop and delete it with a sigh. 

Somehow a text just didn’t seem right anymore. 

Betty pulled back the covers then and sighed as she slipped out of bed, deciding to take a different approach She was sick and tired of waiting. Of letting these moments pass without having the chance to confront them. She needed to see him right now and talk about all of this and what it meant - if it meant anything - face to face. 

It was merited after all, considering every massively tangible thing that now existed and had taken shape between them. 

 

*

Betty gasped with complete and utter surprise, whimpering almost desperately into Jughead’s mouth when he stepped towards her and crashed his lips against hers roughly, kissing her thoroughly and with very little restraint. 

He gripped her hips tightly and pulled her flush against him, running his tongue along her lower lip in a silent plea for her to instinctively open for him .... so she did without a trace of hesitation, moaning softly into his mouth when she his tongue swept into her mouth to curl and rub against hers. 

He tasted faintly of beer and something remarkably sweet that she couldn’t quite place, but pretty soon Betty could hardly breathe let alone think when she felt him move slightly, gently guiding her back into the sanctuary of her room. 

As soon as they were inside, he fell back against the door, snapping it shut with ease, and a heady groan escaped from his throat when she slipped her hands into his hair and instinctively pulled on it, both of them relishing in the almost leisurely way they were kissing each other now. Unhurried but still desperate with uncapped desire for each other. 

Despite her better judgment, Betty couldn’t help but feel like this was a dream - the idea that Jughead was really here, that he was actually kissing her like she had never ever been kissed before, seeming to good to be true. However, when she felt him slip his large hands under her shirt and smooth them over her bare and already overheated skin, she realised, with a jolt of pure excitement, how real this actually was. 

“Juggie ...” Betty breathed when his mouth suddenly left hers to trail a path of hot, opened mouthed kisses down the length of her neck. 

Pushing away any doubting thoughts that were crawling around in her mind now, she titled her head to the side at once to give him better access and gulped with surprise once again when spun them around and pushed her up against the door this time, pressing his hot and eager body against hers, mixing their warmth’s together. She could feel the effect their unexpected make out session clearly had on him and shivered with utter delight when she realised it was all because of her. 

Caught up in the thrilling euphoria of the unexpected moment, she slid her hands down the expanse of his strong back and in a moment of pure bravery, reached down and fiddled with the hem of his t- shirt, silently asking for it to be taken off and discarded somewhere very far away. 

Jughead reacted almost immediately, breaking away from her long enough to tug his shirt off and toss it away. Betty barely had a chance to take him in though or to trace her delicate hands over the hard lines of subtlety defined abs before he pulled her away from the door and lead her towards the bed. 

There was no desire to second guess what happened next. No delay or uncertainty for either of them when they fell down onto the bed together, the years and years of bottled up feelings and the simmering ache they both had for each other outweighing anything else in that moment. 

They removed the rest of their clothes in a messy and mindless state of carefree desperation, their wanton mouths meeting in a series of short but still bold kisses whenever they had the chance. When Jughead’s fingers finally removed Betty shirt, he settled himself in between her legs and leaned over her, stopping for a second to take in what was actually happening. 

His chest heaved in time with his ragged breathing and his usually blue eyes were now black with untainted desire and focused entirely on her. She had obviously never seen him like this before, the unfamiliar, but now tantalizing sight causing her body to hum with raw anticipation. He traced his hand down her chest and cupped her breast, squeezing gently, but keeping his eyes on her and her alone. 

“You’re so fucking beautiful Betty.” he whispered then, so softly and earnestly that she wasn’t sure if he’d actually said anything or not. She arched into his touch and smiled up at him crookedly anyway, reaching out to gently caress his cheeks with her hands before she pulled him back down again and pressed her lips to his, kissing him slowly and delicately this time - trying in vain to calm them both down. 

He shifted above her slightly and Betty whimpered against his lips when she felt his hard length press against the inside of her thigh, sending her body into overdrive almost immediately. She squirmed beneath him impatiently, not wanting to prolong the inevitable actions between them any longer. She wanted him and she wanted him now. 

“Jug ...” Betty whimpered desperately, wrapping her arms around him and holding on for dear life. 

“What Betts,” he breathed against her neck, pressing his warm lips to the skin beneath her ear, “What do you want?” 

“You,” Betty groaned softly when she felt the tip of his member probe her entrance slightly then, “I just want you.” 

That was all she needed to say for him to groan into her neck and throw caution to the wind once again as he moved and gently push inside her, every inch of him stretching and filling her up magnificently, the sensation overloading her senses completely. 

It wasn’t slow, not that she wanted or expected it to be, but it was definitely staggering in every sense of the word. The unbelievable amount of pleasure she felt with every roll or thrust of his hips, making her moan and see a plethora of blinding stars. 

She quickly figured out his rhythm and soon found herself moving her hips with his in an easy cadence. Her breathing matching his as they kissed and moaned together for what felt like hours on end. She could feel the heat in her lower abdomen start to spread and uncoil then, her body quickly building towards release so she did something in response that she hardly ever did in the past, wrapping her legs around his waist so that he could sink in even deeper with the hopes of getting him to his fulfillment faster too. 

“Come on baby.” he breathed against her ear then as he suddenly picked up the pace and reached down between them, brushing his fingers over her already sensitive clit in an effort to hurry her along as well, the action causing Betty to arch beneath him and cry out with a mixture of surprise and pleasure - his unexpected words igniting a fire in her veins. 

When she finally fell apart beneath him, Betty tried in vain to muffle her blissful moans against his neck and ended up clamping herself around him as she shook and he jerked and stiffened above her, thrusting his hips into hers twice more before groaning through his release - sending them both into a mind numbing oblivion - remarkable and unlike anything they had ever felt before. 

There was honestly no better feeling in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are always appreciated!!! Xx


	7. Bed Sheets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: fluff and smut!! Enjoy ;) Xx 
> 
> And please forgive me for any mistakes, it’s really late here.

When Jughead woke up the following morning, it took him a few seconds to remember where he was and to realise that he wasn’t alone. 

The first thing he noticed was her hair, blonde and messy and splayed out in soft natural curls over his one shoulder and part of his chest. Then he became aware of how physically close she was to him, her soft, warm and still naked body pressed right up against his so that there was hardly any space between them now. Her delicate arms were wrapped around him securely, her one leg draped over his and her face was buried deep into the crook of his neck, the feel of her gentle, sleep ladened breath fanning over his skin making him radiate with pure warmth. 

“This is real,” Jughead thought to himself, “This has to be real.” 

He had convinced himself at some point that last night had only been a dream. That everything that had transpired between them was just too unbelievable to actually be real, but now in the fresh light of a new day there was no denying the authenticity of the moment or the memories as they slowly came flooding back. 

After their life altering moment at the bonfire he’d been anxious all evening. Desperate even to just get a moment alone with her so that they could talk and actually figure this all out, but after spending the night being tossed around like rag dolls by fate and it’s interfering ways, he had finally lost it - deciding instead to take the matter into his own hands. 

Talking to Betty had been his sole and initial intention, but when he’d seen her standing in the hallway as well, looking at him with so much bottled up want and desperation, something raw and tangible had snapped inside him - making him say “Fuck it, I’ll show her what this means to me. What she means to me. What she does to me better than words could ever describe.” right before he had kissed her for the third time that evening. 

It was a rash decision. A brave decision. An amazing decision. A decision he’d been wanting to make for a very long time now. One that had unleashed the years and years of pent up emotions between them and ultimately led to the consummation of this new, but still old connection of theirs in the throws of passion. 

Jughead could remember every detail of her and their unexpected night together. The feel of her skin beneath his finger tips. The amazing way her body responded to him. The way she tasted still faintly lingering on the tip of his tongue. Every movement she had made in sync with his and every breathy moan he’d elicited from her. He’d obviously had sex before, enough times to know how incredible it could be, but having sex with Betty Cooper, with the only girl he’d ever truly cared about and noticed, was cathartic and undeniably different - the entirely amorous experience trouncing any others from his past without question. 

Even now as they lay together, both warm, safe and tangled up in her bed sheets, he was terrified to touch or even disturb her, convinced that if he did she would just disappear right in front of his eyes, allowing his greatest fear to actually become a reality. So he waited patiently instead, listening to her breathe rhythmically and basking in the afterglow of their newly formed bond, until she finally stirred on her own a few minutes later. 

Jughead closed his eyes, expecting to find himself alone and back in room when he opened them again, only to be left momentarily stunned to find her still lying there, staring at him with those big, staggering green eyes of hers, a sight which made his heart do a series of tumbles and summersaults. 

God, she was always so beautiful. He could remember telling her that and he couldn’t help but think that again in this close to perfect moment. 

“Hi.” Betty whispered, smiling at him softly and leaning into his touch when he reached out and tentatively caressed her cheek with his hand, tracing her natural lines with his fingers. 

“Hey yourself,” Jughead whispered back. He ran his thumb over her lips then and smiled crookedly when she kissed it, “Is this real?” he asked after a moment, quietly and with mild disbelief, still unable to believe that it was ... especially now. 

Betty didn’t say anything in response but she moved a few seconds later, sliding her body over his before she connected their lips in a wonderfully slow and thorough kiss as soon as she got the chance. He felt his heart stuttered at the contact and he finally let himself move, kissing her back intently while holding her as close as he possibly could, breathing her in as he ran his hands over her bare and impossibly smooth skin. 

With every second that passed he could feel himself stirring beneath her again, spurred on by her gentle touch and the softness of her mouth moving against his, but before he could even think about doing something about it she suddenly pinched his arm with her fingers, causing him to break the kiss with a gasp of surprise and very mild pain. 

“I don’t know about you Juggie, but this all seems very real to me.” Betty said, laughing with him when he finally relaxed and fell back onto his pillows. 

“Well you can’t blame me for being a little skeptical Betts ... especially after that amazing conversation we had last night.” he said with a wink. 

Betty giggled and smiled at him bashfully, settling herself on top of him with ease 

“I suppose we’ll have to have a real one now, won’t we?” 

“Well, I’d like too,” Jughead said, trailing his hands over her back and smiling at her softly, “I want you to know that last night really meant a lot me Betts, more than anything else.” 

“Really?” she whispered questioningly, misty eyed and smiling. He nodded at once and Betty leaned into his touch when he caught a stray tear with his fingers as it rolled down her cheek. She breathed out sigh with what he could only assume was relief and followed it with a short, but happy laugh. 

“You have no idea how much last night meant to me as well Juggie,” she paused, reaching forward to brush a stubborn curl of hair off his forehead, “I honestly thought I was dreaming at first.” 

“So did I,” Jughead chuckled, “Even after that little pinch earlier I’m still convinced that I’m dreaming right now.” 

Betty giggled and snuggled back into his chest, kissing the dip of his collarbone lightly. 

“I just can’t believe how crazy this is,” she said with a sigh, “I mean, up until today this was something I had only ever imagined happening between us.” 

Jughead chuckled at the comment and shifted them, gently rolling her until she was lying on her back and he was hovering over her. 

“I’ll agree that this is crazy, but I have one question for you.” 

“What?” Betty asked, eyeing him curiously. He noticed that she seemed a little nervous, so he smiled at her, hoping to calm her down a little. 

“How long?” 

“How long?” Betty repeated the question, frowning slightly. 

“How long have you been imagining ... that happening between us?” It was a simple question, but Jughead knew that the answer probably would be anything but that. 

Ever since their almost kiss on the beach he kept thinking about what Veronica had said to him a few days ago - about how this connection between them was insanely obvious to everyone except them. He knew that Veronica was right to a certain extent, given the length of time he’d been admiring Betty from a far, but now he wanted to know if the whole thing was actually true. If the girl in his arms really felt the same way for as long as he had. 

“Cards on the table Jug,” Betty said, swallowing a little nervously when he simply nodded, encouraging her to carry on, “I’ve liked you since we were in our sophomore year of high school.” 

Jughead felt his jaw drop slightly and quickly snapped it shut, completely stunned by her answer. Almost a decade. That’s how long she had liked him? He let out a throaty laugh and dropped his head onto her shoulder, wondering how he could have been such an idiot. How could he have been so blind, so extremely stupid to miss something like this. 

He couldn’t help but wonder what things would be like if he had seen it sooner. He figured it would have been very different, but in the best way possible. They would still be together. In love by this point and undeniably happy. Of that much he was certain especially after last night he and all the interesting and novel emotions they clearly had for each other now in the fresh light of a new day. He was also certain that they would’ve been great together, possibly better than Archie and Veronica - which in itself would be a massive feat to achieve. 

“What?” Betty asked, letting out an uncertain laugh of her own when he didn’t say anything. 

She moved slightly to get a better look at him, but before she could even think about asking him why he was laughing, she whimpered with total surprise when Jughead quickly settled his mouth over hers again, giving her a surprisingly long and slow tongue filled kiss. 

“Senior year,” he breathed when they inevitably pulled apart, more out of a necessity to breathe than anything else. She looked at him quizzically and he smiled before he leaned down and kissed her again - unable to himself, “I’ve wanted you like this since we were in our senior year of high school Betts.” 

Betty raised her eyebrows and her eyes grew wide with shock as she finally pieced it together. 

“Oh my god!” she laughed, covering her face with her hands to hide the faint blush that now covered her cheeks, “Are you kidding me?” 

“Believe me Betts, I wish I was.” Jughead said with a warm chuckle. He gently coaxed her to uncover her face and Betty slowly opened her eyes when he did, looking up at him shyly. 

“You’ve really liked me this whole time?” she whispered, reaching out to trace the line of his jaw with her fingers. 

“You’re the only girl I’ve really thought about for the last six years Betts.” he admitted quietly. 

It took a few seconds for his words to sink properly and the smile she wore when they finally did could only be described as dazzling. That’s when he saw it again, that same look in her eyes which somehow even more intense than it ever had been before. 

Without saying a word, she slowly ran her hands over his chest and slipped her fingers back into his hair, pulling his mouth back down to hers for a surprisingly deep and hungry kiss. Jughead groaned softly against her lips when she boldly tugged on his strands of unruly hair, feeling himself already starting to harden again. 

They kissed leisurely at first, their tongues curling and rubbing together lazily, but their carefully measured restraint was quickly starting to wane and it wasn’t long until they the were both desperately trying to resist the sudden urge they had to rush into it again like they had last night - both of them eager to feel that blinding and sensational pleasure once again. 

Jughead managed though, refusing to give in to Betty’s silent pleas just yet or the overall intensity of the moment they had created together, because now that he finally had her the way he’d always wanted, he was determined to take his time and make love to her like he had only dreamed of doing so many times before. 

When he broke the kiss moments later, Betty whimpered at the loss of contact and frowned up at him with clear disappointment, reaching out to try and pull him back which only made him chuckle. Propping himself up on his elbows, he stared down at her intently, a slight smirk forming on his lips when he saw her swallow and noticed the unchecked look of desire and desperation that glazed her eyes now. 

“Slowly Betts.” he breathed against her overheated skin when he leaned down again and started to kiss her neck now, scraping his teeth over her frantic pulse point until a faint bruise appeared. He knew that it probably sounded ridiculously primal and silly, but he wanted to mark her. To make her his, but after years and years of wondering if she would ever feel the same way about him and finally knowing that she did - it kind of felt warranted. 

“Just take it slow baby.” he repeated as he smoothed one of his hands down the length of her body and brushed it over her stomach, feeling the muscles constrict faintly beneath his palm before he settled it on her hip, giving it a little squeeze. He smiled at her reassuringly and moved his mouth lower then as well, licking dip of her collarbone first before he trailed a path of messy, opened mouthed kisses down her already heaving chest. 

He felt Betty squirm beneath him impatiently with every kiss he pressed to her pale skin and she gasped with pure pleasure and arched her body into his touch when he covered one of her peaked nipples with his mouth. He ravished her breast for what felt like endlessly long minutes, soothing the painfully taught nipple with his warm tongue, only to repeat the process when he moved to the other one, his actions driving Betty completely out of her mind once again. 

Breathy and desirous sounds escaped from her lips. Every sigh, every moan and every whimper of pleasure spurred him on, drove him completely crazy and fueled his own desperate need to make her feel impossibly good. To bring her to a blissful fulfillment. 

Unbridled desire churned inside him now, making him completely delirious with want. Never before in his twenty four years of existence had he ever craved something or someone so badly, but he quickly realised that when it came to Betty Cooper he would have to rethink everything he thought he knew from now on. 

Jughead shifted to lie on his side then and slowly dragged his eyes over her, drinking in the mouthwatering sight of her lying beside him, gorgeous and completely naked. He smiled at her softly before he bent down and gently brushed his lips over hers again, worshipping every inch of her body that he could easily reach before he moved his hand away from her hip, placing it dangerously close now to where he was itching to touch her the most instead. 

 

Betty’s head was spinning already. The air in her throat hitched and her stomach tightened with unchecked heat and desire when she felt Jughead skim his long fingers along the inside of her thigh, gently tracing mindless patterns on the skin he found there. He was so incredibly close to where she wanted him, craving his touch so much that she was almost tempted to grab his hand and end his unintentional teasing once and for all. 

“Juggie.” she breathed, lifting her hips slightly in a desperate and silent plea for him to relieve the ache between her thighs. 

“Tell me what you want Betts.” he said gruffly against her ear, nipping at her earlobe sensually, “Tell me.” 

“Please,” she sobbed when he moved a little higher, teasing her again, “Please touch me Juggie.” 

He obeyed her at once and a rather loud moan escaped from her throat when he dipped his fingers her heat, brushing them over her already sensitive flesh, forcing her to breath it out into the silence that surrounded them. He circled her clit slowly and with ease, spreading her arousal before he dipped one finger in followed by another, curling them against her spot and crushing his lips against hers in an feeble attempt to keep her quiet. 

She encouraged him at every turn, breathing heated words of uncurbed satisfaction against his ear when he groaned at how wet she was and buried his face deep into her neck. She latched onto his arm then and whimpered almost desperately, still relishing in the unmistakable thrill that shot through her because of his touch. 

She honestly couldn’t remember ever feeling so turned on or so completely overwhelmed by a single person. Not even Trevor or Reggie had made her feel anything remotely close to this or to what Jughead had done for last night. In fact, she was almost certain that nothing could ever top how mind blowing and unbelievably great the last hours of her life had been. 

It wasn’t long until she felt herself starting to quiver and tighten around his fingers as the heat in her lower abdomen slowly started to uncoil and spread. She fell apart moments later, crying out and bucking uncontrollably against his hand as she rode out her release. 

Normally they probably would’ve waited, maybe given themselves a moment to calm down properly, but after all the potentially life changing revelations that had just transpired between them this morning, all hey wanted, more than anything else, was to bring things between them full circle once again. So when Jughead slipped himself inside her again, Betty almost fell apart again right on the spot - still a little sensitive from earlier. 

It wasn’t nearly as rushed or as fast paced as it had been the night before. But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, because this time it was passionate, slow, sensual and every bit as marvelous as she remembered. Every gratifying roll of his hips only confirming what she had been feeling for such a long time now. 

She loved him. Without question. She loved him and all she could think about as she slowly started to unraveled once again was that even though things had only just started between them, she couldn’t help but feel like it would be something truly amazing. 

 

*~*~* 

 

“So what do we do now?” Betty asked as she snuggled into Jughead’s warm chest, still glowing with satisfaction and bliss from their tryst that had literally ended a short while ago. 

She still couldn’t believe that it was real. That she and Jughead we’re finally an item after all these years. It was amazing actually, the feeling even more incredible especially after he had admitted to having a crush on her for the last six years. They had spoken about it and it turns out the reason why neither of them had said anything was because they were both scared they would lose each other if things went wrong. Of course there was a risk. Love is risky in itself, but they were willing to take it if it meant getting the chance to at least try and figure out if this could be what they both wanted it to be. 

It did make sense - that maybe they were meant to be together given that none of their past relationships had gone terribly well or that neither of them had felt anything close to this with someone else. So, maybe ... just maybe this would turn out to be the best decision they had ever made. 

She heard Jughead sigh then and smiled when she felt him brush his fingers over her ribs, leaving a tingling sensation in their wake. Something she simply relished in now and always looked forward too. 

“I don’t know Betts, maybe we should sleep for a bit or get something to eat?” she could hear the smile in his voice and rolled her eyes, smacking his chest playfully. 

“You know what I mean Jug.” 

“I do,” he said apologetically, “I assume you’re talking about our two recovering friends - oblivious and asleep down the hall?” 

She turned to look at him then and smiled crookedly when she saw the boyish smirk on his face. She shook her head and pinched his side teasingly, trying to get him to realise how serious she was being, which of course, only resulted in him laughing happily and jerking away from her hands. It’s not like the situation with Archie and Veronica was terribly pressing or even that serious that it couldn’t wait to be discussed, but Betty wanted to talk about it with him as soon as possible, mostly because she wanted to know how he would feel about her impending proposal. 

“Honestly Betts, it’s entirely up to you. We can march in there right now and tell them if you want!” Jughead said, still chuckling as he wrapped his arms around her waist again and pulled her close. 

“Well as tempting as that sounds, I actually have another idea in mind.” Betty said, feeling slightly nervous now, because the last thing she wanted to do was ruin their little love bubble. 

“Okay, let’s hear it.” 

“Okay,” Betty said, sitting up abruptly, “Are you sure you’ll be okay with me making this decision?”

“Betts, I’m pretty sure I’ll be okay with anything you have to say right now.”

She turned to look at him and gnawed on her bottom lip for a second before she quickly composed herself. She needed to relax before she even dared to speak again. Jughead straightened up as well and she noticed immediately that he looked a little worried, almost as if he believed that she was about to end what had only just started, so she reached out and took his hand, holding onto it tightly with the hopes of reassuring him. 

“I don’t want to tell them about us just yet and before you say anything I want to explain why.” she sighed and waited for him to nod, before she spoke again, “You see, Veronica has known about my feelings for you this whole time and I’m worried that if she finds out that we’re actually together now she’ll ...” 

“.... She’ll never leave us alone.” Jughead said slowly, a soft smile forming on his lips. 

“Bingo,” Betty said with a grimace, having already imagined the countless scenarios that would undoubtedly happen when Veronica found out about them. Sure her friend would be mad, but Betty wanted this time to be with Jughead and Jughead alone more than anything else right now. “The truth is, I just want us to figure out the dynamics of this by ourselves and I’m pretty sure if Archie and Veronica find out all they’ll do is get involved. I just want it to be us for a bit and once we’re comfortable and know things inside and out I promise we’ll tell them.” 

Betty wasn’t entirely sure what Jughead’s response would be. She knew it wouldn’t be negative, but she wasn’t sure if it would be entirely positive either. However when she saw his soft smile grow into a huge one, any worry that weighed her down a second ago disappeared in an instant. He reached for her then and pulled her into his lap, kissing her tenderly on the lips once she was close enough. 

“I’m more than okay with that Betts as long as I get to have you,” she giggled and kissed him again, “however, I should warn you that I have no idea how I’m going to stop myself from kissing or touching you now whenever I see you.” 

“That’ll be the fun part.” Betty said, giggling when he gave her a look that said otherwise. 

“Sneaking around behind our friends backs. Being all romantic and mushy when we’re alone ... I bet you’ll be the first one to crack.” Jughead said, playfully challenging her. 

“Oh we’ll see about that Juggie,” she shot back just as playfully - already certain that he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her after today even if he really tried, “We’ll see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are always appreciated!! Xx


	8. Teasing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots and lots of fluff in this chapter ... so enjoy!! Also who will be the first to crack? Betty or Jughead .. ;) Xx
> 
> Also please forgive me for any mistakes.

Jughead sighed quietly and watched with slightly despondent eyes as Betty changed back into her pajamas and headed into the bathroom. He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, trying to delay the inevitable task of putting his own clothes back on for as long as he possibly could simply because he didn’t want to go. He didn’t want this completely unreal moment with her to end just yet, but, unfortunately, he knew that it would have to. They just couldn’t risk giving a hungover Archie or Veronica the opportunity to come busting through the door like they were both accustomed to doing in the past. 

When Betty had first suggested that they keep their relationship a carefully guarded secret from their friends, Jughead was a little surprised initially but he wasn’t offended in any way either, especially after he took a moment to actually think it over himself. 

She was right of course. If Archie and Veronica found out about them now, the first thing they would probably do is take all the credit for making it happen and then they would never let them be alone without being nearby to scrutinize them at every turn. 

Jughead had never seen himself as much of a gambler, mostly because he just wasn’t terribly lucky, but in order to keep their secret an actual secret, they would have to be as discreet as possible with no public or physical displays of affection of any kind, a simple agreement that essentially defined the terms of the playful bet that now existed between them - Which one of them would be the first to break that little rule, thus running the risk of exposing the truth to their unsuspecting friends. 

Something, he suspected, would be exceptionally difficult for both of them to achieve. 

He had just finished pulling his t-shirt back on when Betty came out of the bathroom and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face into his chest as soon as she was close enough. 

“God, this is going to suck so much.” Jughead sighed against her neck as he engulfed her in his arms and nuzzled himself into her as well, fully aware that he probably wouldn’t get to do this for a majority of the day ahead. 

“You have no idea,” Betty mumbled. She kissed his skin through the thin material of his shirt then and he smiled, tightening his arms around her even more in response.

“But it’ll be worth it in the end though, right? To explore us without them getting involved,” Betty pulled back to look at him then, looking just as disheartened as he felt, but she nodded her head in agreement anyway - an action that somehow broke and warmed his heart at the same time. He knew that the next few days would be hard, but once they got back to the city things would improve drastically, “Besides, I thought you said this would be fun.” he added with a teasing smile, trying to cheer her up. 

Betty rolled her eyes and shook her head, barely fighting the back the smile that threatened to form on her lips. 

“I’m actually curious to see how much restraint you have Juggie.” she said with a giggle. He smirked and brought his hands up to her face, caressing his thumbs over her cheeks gently. 

“If I’m being entirely honest Betts, when it comes to you I don’t think I have that much.” 

“So in other words, I’m going to win the bet?” Betty said, having already predicted how the day would apparently progress or end - with him giving in to his suppressed feelings for her in a public place. 

“Or,” he said, slowly backing her up until her back was pressed into door and her was body flush against his, “Maybe, just maybe you won’t be able to resist me Betty Cooper.” 

He leaned in closer and connected their lips for what felt like the millionth time that morning, relishing in the soft sigh and whimper that fluttered from her mouth when the kiss inevitably deepened. It was slow and languid and as close to perfect as possible, as both of them worked a little harder to drag the moment out for as long as they could. 

By the time they pulled apart, Betty’s hands had found their way under his shirt again and one of her legs was wrapped around his thigh now, in a desperate attempt to get even closer to him than she already was. 

“I think it’s fair to say that my odds are pretty good.” he said, referring to their current position. 

“Didn’t anyone tell you not to play with fire?” Betty warned, her green eyes teasing and filled with mirth now, “Because if you’re not careful I might just go out of my way to test how strong your willpower really is.” 

“Go for it baby. Just remember two can play at that game.” Jughead said with a smug smile, before he leaned in again and kissed her soundly on the lips. 

“You should probably go,” Betty managed to breathe after a moment, when his mouth left hers to kiss the smooth expanse of her throat instead, “Because if you don’t, I might not let you.” 

Jughead chuckled lightly at the comment, and despite every thought that was going through his head in that moment telling him to carry on, he reluctantly stepped back and pulled her away from the door at the same time. 

“I’ll see you down there.” 

He was just about to leave and resign himself to the hardships of the long day ahead, but before he could even step out into the hallway Betty suddenly grabbed his hand, holding him back. 

“One more.” she pleaded with a small and surprisingly coy smile. He grinned broadly and moved, pulling her close again without a hint of hesitation. 

*

As expected their first test came right out the gate during breakfast. 

Jughead was already sitting at the table, eating a healthy portion of fried eggs and bacon, when Veronica suddenly appeared looking about as ragged as she most likely felt. 

“Well, look what the cat finally dragged in.” Jughead commented a with a smirk, taking in her unusually messy hair, loose fitting pajamas and the slow, lackluster way she moved around. Even behind the large pair dark sunglasses Veronica wore to shield her sensitive eyes, Jughead could clearly see the glare she threw his way when she sat down as well which, of course, only made him laugh. “Did you sleep well?” he asked in between chuckles. 

Veronica sighed heavily and rubbed her temples gingerly, hoping to ease the headache that undoubtedly throbbed in her head right now. 

“About as well as I possibly could,” she mumbled miserably, “It feels like my head has been repeatedly hit with a sledgehammer.” 

Jughead chuckled lightly and pushed the large platter of freshly cooked eggs and bacon towards his friend, indicating that a greasy breakfast would probably do her a world of good. She seemed to agree and dished up some for herself almost immediately. 

They ate in a semi comfortable silence for a while, both of them too focused on their food to really talk about anything. Jughead didn’t bother to ask Veronica where Archie was, simply because he knew, after a lifetime of friendship, that after a night of drinking, Archie Andrews would only resurface again sometime in the early hours of the afternoon. 

“Hey, where’s Betty?” Veronica asked suddenly, having finally noticed the obvious absence of her best friend. 

“I think she’s cutting up some fruit in the kitchen.” Jughead said, a warm smile forming on his lips at the mere thought of Betty (and the fact that he could call her his girlfriend now) and what had happened between them only moments before Veronica had arrived. 

When they had come downstairs, separately at first to avoid drawing any unwanted attention towards them, and saw that no one was lurking around the cabin, they used the opportunity to quickly sneak in a few fast and heady kisses - deciding that because no one was technically around they would only officially start the bet once someone did show up. 

Jughead glanced towards the kitchen then and he couldn’t help but feel mildly disappointed when he didn’t catch a glimpse of her, aware now that stolen glances and soft smiles shared with her would be his only manner of survival for the rest of the day. 

“Jughead!” Veronica snapped, impatiently clicking her fingers in front of his face to try and get his attention. Jughead blinked in surprise and gave his head a slight shake, bringing himself back to reality. 

“I’m sorry, what?” he dropped his eyes to table and mentally kicked himself, hoping that Veronica was too hungover to notice his momentary slip up. He would have to be a little more subtle than that if he wanted to stand by Betty’s request or if he wanted to win the bet. 

“I asked you to tell me what happened last night, because I can’t really remember anything.” Veronica repeated, watching him with curious and slightly narrowed eyes now. He noticed and quickly bit into his slice of toast, shrugging his shoulders in response. 

“You were drunk, sang karaoke, did shots with Archie and Betty and she spent like two hours holding your hair back while you vomited. Thats all I can really remember.” .... also Betty and I had sex twice and we’re finally together, but that’s need to know information and, for once Ronnie, you don’t need to know he thought to himself with a slight smirk. 

Veronica nodded slowly, but to Jughead’s dismay she continued to scrutinize him closely, convinced that there was something more he had to say. He pretended not to notice though and carried on eating the rest of his breakfast, hoping (rather foolishly) that she would just leave it alone. 

He should have known better. 

“What’s going on with you?” Veronica asked, “You seem ... different.” 

“Pretty sure I’m exactly the same way I was yesterday Ronnie.” Jughead said with a shrug. He swallowed and somehow kept himself remarkably composed. 

“Then why the hell are you smiling so much?” 

“Jeez, I didn’t know it was a crime to smile Veronica.” he laughed. 

“Well it’s not, but it is strange to see you smiling so much. You hardly ever do.” 

Jughead rolled his eyes and sighed. He couldn’t deny that Veronica was right about that. He did have a well entrenched habit of not smiling on a regular basis and while he knew that he was being incredibly obvious right now that something had changed since last night, he just couldn’t help himself. He honestly couldn’t remember last time he had ever been this happy or if he ever had been before.

“I’m fine Veronica. I’m just enjoying myself, I thought that’s what you wanted to get out of this trip.” he gave her a pointed look and Veronica sighed, finally relenting to his explanation which, in turn, allowed him to breathe an internal sigh of relief. 

“Well it’s freaking me out.” she mumbled, picking apart a piece of bacon with her fingers. 

“I’m sure it is,” Jughead chuckled. He glanced towards the kitchen again, wondering what was taking Betty so long. “Would you like some coffee.” he asked Veronica, looking for any excuse he could to go and find out. 

“Sure, thanks Jug.” Jughead smiled at her again and quickly stood up. 

He found Betty exactly where she said she would be, cutting up pieces of fruit to have with breakfast. She was just about to finish cutting up a rather large pineapple when Jughead entered the kitchen. She hadn’t seen him yet, so he paused for a moment and watched her, resisting every urge he had to walk over and kiss her even though Veronica was literally only meters away from them. 

Besides he wasn’t about to let Betty win the bet just like that, however, he was prepared to test her and see how strong her resolve truly was. He smirked and stepped closer. 

She stiffened as soon as he stepped up behind her, close enough so that their bodies weren’t quite touching but merely brushed against one another if they moved. 

“Excuse me Betts.” Jughead breathed right against the shell of her ear, his lips barely touching her skin as he reached forward and opened the cupboard above her, taking out two coffee mugs as he went. 

He purposely brushed his body against hers then and chuckled lightly when she gasped softly, practically dropped the knife in her hands and shivered slightly - clearly affected by him and his presence. She turned around to face him then and he stepped back a little, not even trying to hide the mischievous, shit eating smile on his face. 

“What the hell are you doing Jug?” Betty hissed, looking around him to see if Veronica was in view or if she could see them. Thankfully she couldn’t. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Betts. I just came to get some coffee mugs.” he said innocently, holding them up as “proof”.

“Oh I bet you were.” Betty rolled her eyes and glared at him before she pushed him away playfully, her eyes taking on a teasing glint of their own which only made him grin even more. 

“You better watch yourself Juggie.” she warned. Her simple yet still foreshadowing words setting in motion a series of events that had yet to come. 

 

Their second major test happened later on that day and only after a few smaller ones had transpired between them first - most of which consisted of brief glances, hand grazes and obvious, but not so obvious touching. 

They spent the rest of the morning and a good chunk of the day with a now refreshed, but still recovering Veronica in town, doing a light amount of shopping and grabbing something to eat at one of the small restaurants. 

Lunch was largely uneventful, but after almost an hour of getting non-stop suggestive looks from Betty, no doubt spurred on by his own teasing actions that morning, Jughead finally lost it and attempted to kick her foot under the table, only to clip Veronica (who was still completely oblivious to their antics) by mistake instead. 

And if that wasn’t bad enough, things only got worse for him when they got back to the cabin and Veronica suggested that they go swimming again. 

Naturally, Betty didn’t hold back at all and Jughead knew he was in serious trouble when she came out in a white bikini, the very one he had loved seeing her in so many times before in the past, and smiled at him coyly. She looked unbelievable, so much so that he was left completely dumbfounded and in a state where he could hardly take his eyes off her for more than a second. Thankfully, Veronica was far too busy suntanning and relaxing to really take notice. 

“Subtle Juggie, very subtle.” she said with a smirk as she walked right past and nudged him so that he fell into the pool - successfully exacting her revenge on him. 

Needless to say, if Jughead could avoid looking at her at any point, he would. 

 

Their third and final test came that evening after an exhausted, but still cheerful looking Archie finally emerged from his room and came downstairs to join them for dinner and for an impromptu movie night. 

Sitting together during movie nights was a common activity for both of them, but after everything he and Betty and done lately, Jughead just couldn’t seem to control himself or his thoughts whenever he was incredibly close to her now. And what made things even worse was that Betty knew exactly what she was doing to him. 

Every soft sigh, every “unintentional” touch or the mere brush of her fingers against his heated skin made him shift beside her and noticeably swallow. He could feel now that his once strong and resilient willpower, the very thing which had stopped him from giving in to her all day, was slowly starting to dissipate now and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could last before it gave out completely. 

They were about half way through the first Pirates of The Caribbean movie and Jughead could hardly breathe let alone focus on what was happening in the film. She was leaning against him now and her fingers were brushing over a small section of uncovered skin she had found. He tried to relax and keep himself in check, but with every stoke of her fingers an impossible-to-ignore warmth would course through him. 

Eventually, when Betty decided to make them all some more popcorn, he quickly seized his opportunity to be alone with her by immediately offering to help. 

Screw the bet he thought as he got up and followed after her. 

As soon as they were in the kitchen he made his move and grabbed her hand, pulling her close until he could finally kiss her and unleash all of those desperate and built up feelings inside him. She responded just as fervently, making him believe that she must have been pretty damn close to losing it as well. 

Without breaking the kiss, he grabbed the underside of her thighs, hoisted her up onto the counter and settled himself in between her legs at once, slowly losing himself in her taste and everything that was purely her when she moaned softly into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, deepening the kiss even more. They were both mindless an utterly desperate with want now and neither one of them could care less if Archie or Veronica walked in right now and saw them. 

By the time the kiss broke, they were both breathless and overcome with need, their frantic heartbeats slowly starting to even out and mix together as they both took a second to calm down and soak in the satisfaction that came with finally getting to come together after hours of being apart. 

“Looks like I win Juggie.” Betty whispered triumphantly against his lips when she pulled him close again and pressed her lips to his, kissing him with a little more restraint this time. 

He didn’t care. 

He didn’t mind losing a bet to her if it meant that he still got to have her at the end of it all. 

 

*~*~* 

 

Betty Cooper couldn’t be happier. 

Not only was she young, beautiful and finally dating the man she’d been in love with for almost a decade - but she had just won the playful little bet between them that, as a result, left him entirely at her mercy. 

After a ragtag day of trying to garner a reaction out of each other in various ways, Jughead had finally given in to her tempering and teasing ways by basically attacking her in the kitchen with his mouth. She smiled, knowing that her antics around the pool and during the movie had finally broken his restraint and while she should feel just a little guilty for what she had done to him all day, she just couldn’t. It was his fault after all. If he hadn’t teased her in the kitchen that morning all of this could’ve been avoided quite easily. 

She had to admit that it had been incredibly close though and she was fairly certain that if Jughead hadn’t made a move on her she probably would’ve given in and ended up jumping him the same way he had jumped her back in the kitchen earlier. In fact, when he had offered to come and help her make the popcorn, she had been silently hoping that something would spill over and happen - especially after how long and trying a day apart had turned out to actually be. 

Now she was lying alone in her bed, waiting rather impatiently for Archie and Veronica to go to fall asleep so that he could sneak through and join her. 

For the rest of the movie night and the subsequent evening that followed, Betty had spent most of her time thinking about what she wanted now that she had won the bet. Technically she could suggest anything and Jughead would have to do it without question and after hours spent thinking she had finally come up with an idea that she believed would be immensely fun for both of them. 

She heard her bedroom creak open then and practically jumped out of bed to greet Jughead halfway, kissing him fully on the lips when he reached for her. 

“Hi.” she whispered, looking up at him affectionately through the cracked darkness. 

“Hey yourself.” he whispered back. He smiled crookedly and it wasn’t long until he found himself leaning down again to give her long, slow and wet kiss that left her sagging against him and wanting more, “So you made up your mind already?” he asked when they both recovered, referring to the text she had sent him just after they went to bed. 

Betty nodded and giggled at the slightly anxious look he had on his face now. Was he really worried that she had planned for them would be that bad? She wondered idly if she should tease him a little more, but ultimately decided against it. He’d been through enough already and it just didn’t feel right to mess with him and make him suffer anymore. 

“So are you going to tell me or am I supposed to read your mind Betts?” he asked, letting out a slightly nervous chuckle. Betty didn’t say anything though as she broke away from him and simply started leading him towards the door instead. 

“Betts?” he whined, holding her back and demanding some answers. 

“Trust me Juggie, you’ll love it.” she said, quietly pulling him out the door with her. 

*

“Seriously Betts, this is what you want to do?” she heard Jughead say as he pulled his shirt off and discarded it on the beach along with he rest of her clothes. 

“And what’s wrong with this?” Betty asked, referring to the fact that she was standing in front of him and that she was almost completely naked, save for her bra and panties. 

“No, this part I like,” he said gesturing to her, “But I don’t see how going for a midnight swim could be termed as a punishment or a form of humiliation.” 

“Who said anything about there being a punishment Jug?” Betty laughed as she pulled her hair out of its tight ponytail. She took a second to admire him and bit her lower lip at what she saw - him shirtless and only in a pair of boxers. She would never get over how ridiculously handsome he looked in every setting. 

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, “I guess I’m just used to humiliation being the result of losing a bet.” 

“I suppose that does makes sense,” Betty agreed, “But I have no desire to humiliate you Juggie.” 

“Well as reassuring as that might be Betts, I can almost guarantee that as soon as I set one foot in that water I probably will make a total fool out of myself.” 

“It’s won’t be that cold.” 

“It’s the Atlantic Ocean Betts, it’s going to be cold.” 

She smirked and backed away from him. 

“Well, if you’re so scared you can just stay here then.” Betty said coyly. 

She winked at him then and started jogging towards the ocean, most likely leaving him standing there with his mouth hanging open. Jughead wasn’t far behind though and a rather loud series of squeals tumbled from her lips when she felt his one arm snake around her waist as he picked her up, spun her around once or twice and carried her off towards the sea. 

It was cold. Very cold. They barely made it waist deep into the water before they both gasped out various curse words and collapsed over into it, laughing hysterically and splashing each other with water as they struggled to get up and get back to the shore. 

“Okay, I’m sorry ... I’m sorry that was a terrible idea.” Betty giggled as she and Jughead fell down onto the sand and lay down together, breathing heavily and shivering almost violently in the midnight breeze. Without giving it a second thought, he quickly reached for Betty and immediately pulled her into his chest, stroking his hands over every inch of her body that he could reach in an effort to warm them both up. 

“Terrible idea or not Betts, I don’t regret a single moment that we’ve spent together or will spend together ... even if it’s get us sick.” he said softly before taking her hands in his so that he could kiss and blow warm air over them. That action in itself, melted her heart almost immediately. 

“You can be such a cheeseball sometimes.” she commented with a giggle, leaning up to hen give him a slow and soft, but still amazingly passionate kiss - creating a moment that she never wanted to end now or ever. 

She didn’t regret what had happened either. Not even now as the lay on the beach together, soaked and freezing cold beneath the stars in Upstate New York. 

She didn’t regret a thing when it came to him. Not by a long shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thoughts and comments are always appreciated!! Xx


	9. Sunburnt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty long and has a little bit of everything in it!! So I hope you enjoy it!! 
> 
> Also thank you so much for the love and support you’ve all shown this fic. It truly warms my heart!! :) Xx 
> 
> Also, please forgive me for any mistakes!!

It was no secret that Jughead loved to sleep, but he was convinced that he had never slept so well before in his entire life than he had over the last few days. He could lie and say that it was the clean, fresh ocean air or the unbelievably comfortable bed he slept on or he could even say that it was the relaxing atmosphere that came with staying in a small town in Upstate New York, but the truth was far simpler. 

It was Betty. Without a doubt. Just being near her, safe and tangled up in her sheets, and knowing that the soft, but distinct warmth he felt all around him came from something as simple as having her body pressed right up against his was enough to make him never want to sleep any other way again. In fact, he was certain now that he would never be able to fall asleep again without her lying beside him like this. 

He could’ve stayed exactly like this, balancing on the thin line between being asleep and being awake with this amazing woman tucked away in his chest and arms forever, but the loud and intrusive sound of his phone ringing killed that wish faster than he appreciated and would’ve liked. 

Jughead stirred and heaved out a groan as he reluctantly untangled his limbs from Betty’s, missing the loss of delicious contact and her comforting presence almost immediately as he slowly reached over and grabbed his phone. He felt Betty shift beside him then and after ensuring that she was still fast asleep, he quickly slipped out of bed - not wanting to risk waking her up unnecessarily as well. 

“Hello.” he grumbled around an obvious yawn (not bothering to hide the fact that he had just been woken up) as he made his way out onto the balcony. 

“Well good morning to you as well big brother.” Jellybean’s all too familiar voice practically sang over the phone, making him cringe just a little. 

“It’s way too early to be that sarcastic or preppy with me JB,” he said with a long, drawn out sigh. He sat down on one of the surprisingly comfortable outdoor chairs and smiled softly, “You should know by now I’m not much of a morning person.”

“Oh I do,” JB chuckled and he could practically see the smirk on her face, “But unfortunately for you I didn’t have much of a choice.” 

“And why is that?” Jughead asked. He heard the unmistakable sound of traffic filtering through the phone and frowned slightly. Even at peek hours, the sleepy town of Riverdale basically had little to no traffic whatsoever. “Wait, where are you?” he added quickly. 

“JFK international airport,” his sister said as if it should be the most obvious thing in the world, “That’s why I’m calling. I just wanted to check in before my flight left.” 

My Flight? What fucking flight? 

Jughead swallowed hard and somehow resisted every urge he had to demand where she was going like the slightly overprotective brother he could sometimes be.

“How thoughtful of you,” he managed to say instead, trying to keep his voice as even as he possibly could, “Where you heading off too?” He clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut as soon as the words left his mouth. God, he needed to relax. 

“Just to Seattle. A few friends and I are going to check out the campus and some apartments nearby, but I don’t want to talk about that,” she said almost dismissively, “How’s the trip been so far? Has the snobbery driven you mad yet?” 

“Actually it’s been kind of ... ,” he paused and glanced back towards the room, smiling with pure warmth when he saw Betty still lying in the bed, fast asleep, “Its been really great actually. Something major happened and uh ... I’ll have to tell you all about it when you get back.” he finished, grinning broadly when he heard his sister groan with obvious frustration. 

“Now that’s just mean Jug,” Jellybean grumbled, “How can you tease me like that and since when do you keep secrets? Especially from me?” 

“Since I found one worth that’s actually worth keeping,” There was a pregnant silence on the other end of the line which made Jughead laugh out loud, “Didn’t I teach you the art of patience at all?” 

“I think you tried once or twice, but it didn’t really stick.” she muttered, probably with that same chaffing, half smile she usually wore when she spoke like that. Jughead couldn’t help but smile as well when he picked up on how distinctly Jellybean that response was in nature, thinking that it was comforting to know that some things, like their age old teasing and playful dynamic, had never and would never be one of those things that would change between them. Or at least he hoped it never would. Even when she inevitably moved to the other side of the country. 

“So you really aren’t going to tell me?” he heard Jellybean say then, snapping him back to reality in an instant. 

“Yeah, sorry JB, but I’ve kind of been sworn to secrecy here.” 

“By who?” she asked (or as Jughead interpreted it; demanded). 

“Ah now, I can’t tell you that either. That’s all part of the secret as well.” Jughead said, chuckling softly when her clearly frustrated sigh trickled through the phone once again. 

“You know, I actually forgot how much of a dick you can be sometimes.” 

“Awww, but that’s why you love me so much, come now admit it.” he said, smirking just a little bit more when she finally started to laugh too. 

“You’re a giant, sardonic weirdo you know that?.” 

“I do, and you’re a walking pile of know-it-all, sarcastic comments, but -“ 

“- but that’s why you love me.” Jellybean interrupted, finishing his sentence for him. 

“But that’s why I love you.” he reaffirmed, smiling warmly from ear to ear. 

“Yeah, alright take it easy you big beanie wearing softie, as much as I’d love to sit here and chat all day I’ve actually gotta go.” 

“Yeah sure of course, ... just -“ he paused for the briefest of seconds, knowing full well that this would either be the best moment or quite possibly the worst moment to finally make his thoughts about Seattle known to her. 

He was hesitant to say anything though, because it suddenly dawned on him that he wasn’t even sure what it really was that bothered him about her moving away or what it was that made him think and feel this way. Of course, like any decent older brother he was obviously concerned and wanted nothing more than for her to be safe, but did that really give him the right to ruin something she’d worked so hard to achieve? 

Could the real reason why he didn’t want her to move away actually be something as pathetic as this? Maybe this was it. Maybe this was the issue that would plague him now - not the thought of not being there to keep her safe, but the idea that he could be the one to single handedly crush her dreams with his own silly insecurities.

“Getting old here Jug.” Jellybean suddenly said, prodding him to hurry up and speak. 

“Sorry,” Jughead said and like so many times before, he quickly pushed his troublesome thoughts away, “Just uh ... let me know when you arrive safely, okay?” 

“I always do, don’t I?”

“Yeah ... I know you do.” he said softly and with a lopsided smile, suddenly wishing that he could see her and give her a real hug right now. They said one final goodbye and then, much to his dismay, the line went dead a few seconds later. 

Jughead sat there for a while, staring somberly at the unusually calm ocean and the striking sunrise stretching out before him in the distance. He was deep in thought, reflecting on the recent thought that had now formed in the back of his mind. What on earth was he doing?

“Jug?” 

The sound of Betty’s voice, soft and cautious and unexpected, made his head snap up in an instant and what he saw when he looked up took his breath away almost immediately. 

She was leaning against the wooden doorframe, wearing nothing except one of his classic “S” t-shirts, which he couldn’t help but noticed, ended just above the mid section of her thighs with her blonde hair tousled, and loosely framing her ethereal face. He swallowed noticeably and felt his stomach churn with something raw and tangible which he tried half-heartedly to decompress, an initially unsuccessful feat which suddenly became remarkably easier to achieve when he spotted the concern in her eyes. 

“Hey,” he said with a soft smile, “Sorry Betts, did I wake you?” 

Betty shook her head and stepped towards him slowly when he held out his hand, silently asking her to come to him. He pulled her down onto his lap when she was near enough and sighed with immediate relief when she curled herself into his bare torso and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, her lips faintly kissing the skin there. He slipped his arms around her at once and pulled her even closer - her very presence working to alleviate the guilty weight that now gripped his heart just a little. 

“Are you okay?” she asked him after a long, but comfortable silence, gently sliding her hand along the length of his neck and shoulder. He exhaled quietly and snuggled his head against hers, breathing her in as if she were oxygen. 

“Not really,” he admitted, “I just got off the phone with Jellybean. She’s on her way to Seattle to check out a few apartments and the campus with some friends.” 

Betty pulled back then and the look in her eyes told Jughead that she knew, or rather, remembered how sensitive this particular topic was to him. She brought her hand up to his cheek and caressed it softly, trying to ease away the mild anguish he displayed now. 

“Oh, did you uh - did you try and talk to her about it or ...?” 

“No I didn’t,” he said, shaking his head, “And to be perfectly honest Betts, I don’t really think I should.” 

“Oh, really? ... why not?” she was being cautious - watching him with soft and attentive eyes now, trying to decipher what he was getting at - so Jughead sighed and closed his own eyes in response as he pulled her back to him and buried his face into her neck this time. 

“Because I’ll be guilty if I say something.” he mumbled into her skin, not bothering to even try and hide how vulnerable he felt. He didn’t have to. Not with her. 

“Guilty?” Betty repeated the word incredulously. She brought her hands up to his face then and pushed him back softly, just enough so that he could see how confused she was by his statement, “Why would you be guilty? We’ve already talked about this Jug, you’re not being selfish or stupid for wanting things to stay the same.” 

“Do you really think that though?” he asked disbelievingly, “I mean, do you really believe that I’m not being utterly ridiculous about all of this - About Jellybean going to Seattle or Archie and Veronica moving to Paris? because, honestly, I think I am.” 

“No I don’t,” Betty said firmly and then, to his surprise, she leaned in close and kissed him softly, her lips lingering on his for what felt like hours before she finally pulled back and smiled at him warmly, “Do you want to know why?” he nodded his head slowly and swallowed, not entirely sure what to except. 

“You rely on specific things Jughead.” she said quietly, her answer leaving him to ponder for a moment with a slight frown. 

“What do you mean?” 

“You hate change, because you only have a handful of things in your life that actually bring you genuine happiness and, much like that crown beanie of yours, they’re an escape and a shield to you, and now you’re about to ‘lose’ three people who mean the world to you - well not lose entirely but still.” she stroked her thumb over his cheek and smiled at him tenderly when he relented from his self-loathing state and leaned into her touch just a little more, “What I’m trying to say Juggie is that I don’t think you’re being ridiculous, and, despite how personal this is to you, I also understand why you feel this way ... but if you do decide to talk to them at some point you shouldn’t feel guilty about it, okay? This is a massive change. I’d be surprised if no one questioned it just a little.” 

It took a grand total of three seconds for her words to register in Jughead’s brain and when they finally did, he found that he had nothing to say or question or even overthink, because he knew that she was right (Betty Cooper typically was after all) and he knew it would be pointless to argue with her. So he didn’t. 

Besides, the fact that she understood him and hadn’t told him what to do or how to think - leaving it open for him to make up his own mind about how to handle he situation with his sister and two best friends instead - only made him feel even more grateful to have her here right now. 

He nodded slowly then and decided to mimic her actions by brining his hand up to her cheek instead. He caressed it softly, his blue eyes searching hers intently, before he leaned in close and pressed his lips firmly to hers - disclosing to her how much he appreciated what she had just said and how much he loved her when the right words to say so failed to take shape in his mind. 

She readily returned the intensity of his kiss and shifted herself just a little until she was straddling his hips and her fingers were entwined in his thick strands of dark hair once again - her heady actions causing him to stir awake in several areas. He slid his hands down to her hips and reached for the hem of her shirt, desperate to feel her skin beneath his fingers and to repeat what they had done twice last night after their attempted midnight swim, but before he could even think about taking the garment off, a series of loud knocks made them both freeze with terror. 

“B, are you awake? Can I come in?” 

The sound of Veronica’s voice caused their already frantically beating hearts to go into overdrive, but for a complete different reason this time. 

Naturally they panicked. 

“B?” Veronica asked when she didn’t hear a reply. 

“Yeah V, just uh ... just give me a second.” Betty said, taking Jughead’s shirt off and throwing it directly at him. He grabbed her own pajamas, which strewn all over the bedroom floor, and handed them over so she could change back into them as well. 

“Bathroom.” she mouthed at him and after making sure that there was no sign of him still lingering in the room, Jughead did she as suggested and ducked inside, hiding behind the door and pulling it back further to conceal him even more. 

He heard Betty open the door then and watched through the pitifully small space between the door jambs and the actual door itself as Veronica stepped into view. 

“Morning V, what’s up?” Betty asked in the most casual voice she could muster after their make out session and mini panic attack only minutes ago. 

“Not much,” the raven haired girl said, in her usual nonchalant demeanor, “I just came over to tell you that I’ve hired a boat and a couple of jet skis for the day so make sure you wear something ... appropriate. Also, can you please tell Jughead - you know I hate waking him up.” 

Jughead smirked and bit back a laugh then - remembering the one time Veronica had mistakenly tried to get him to wake up before noon and how she vowed to never do it again. 

“Uh ... yeah, sure thing V,” Betty said with a smile, briefly glancing towards the bathroom where her knowing eyes somehow found and connected with his, “I’ll be sure to tell him.” 

*~*~* 

Betty had very little experience with boats, or more specifically, being on a boat, but like so many times before, Veronica Lodge always found a way to make her feel like she was well and truly seasoned in these things. 

It was the early in the afternoon now. They had been on boat for a little more than a few hours now and Betty had to admit, even though she had wanted nothing more than to spend the day with Jughead and Jughead only - she was actually enjoying herself quite a lot. After a day spent wining and dining, sun tanning and relaxing on the deck of a luxury motorized yacht was the order of the day for Betty and Veronica while Archie and Jughead chose to take the jet skis out for a spin instead. 

Betty was in the middle of putting in more sunscreen when she spotted them in the distance, a small smile forming on her lips as she watched them mess around like a couple of playful morons and the close childhood friends they had always been. Naturally, the sight warmed the very depths of her heart, mostly because she was glad to see Jughead smiling again especially after that emotional conversation they had that morning. She knew that he was having a rough time with what was happening lately, but she still couldn’t believe that he actually thought he would be guilty if he decided to speak to his sister or their friends about the life changing choices they had made, effectively uprooting what he was comfortable with and used too. 

Obviously, she understood where he was coming from. That he didn’t have a legitimate excuse for being upset, but that didn’t mean he should feel ashamed for not wanting things to change - something a lot of people struggle to deal with when it happens. Still, she knew it wasn’t her place to tell him what to do or what to say so she left the choice of what to do next up to him. It didn’t matter what he decided to do in the future, because she would be there beside him no matter what.

Of course, this was all followed by a rather intense and heated make out session which was unfortunately interrupted by Veronica before it could go anywhere extremely good and pleasurable. Betty sighed and didn’t bother even trying to ignore what she felt churning in the pit of her stomach now, certain that she would never get over the unbelievable way he made her feel all the time now. 

“So ...” Veronica said, snapping her out of her Jughead filled reverie. Betty exhaled softly and glanced over at her friend, regretting the decision almost immediately when she saw the slightly mischievous look on Veronica’s face. 

“Oh boy here it comes” she thought with an inward roll of her eyes, aware of what was most likely coming next. 

“So ... what?” Betty asked anyway, more out of curiosity than anything else. 

“How did things go during the bonfire?” Veronica said, with a far too eager and suggestive look. 

“I’m pretty sure you were there V.” Betty teased, which of course, resulted in Veronica giving her a clearly unimpressed look. 

“You know what I mean B,” Veronica whined, “What happened after Archie and I left?” 

Betty grinned slightly and being as discreet as possible, she brushed her fingers over the crook of her neck where a couple of faint bruises now existed - a reminder of what Jughead had done to her a few nights ago, every night since and this morning out on her balcony (the intimate marks covered up with a little makeup for appearance sakes of course.) 

“If you’re desperately hoping to hear that something happened between Jughead and I then I’m afraid you’ll be terribly disappointed.” Betty said, smirking just a little when Veronica heaved out groaned and fell back onto her towel. 

“Come on B! You’re killing me here, that was a golden opportunity Archie and I gave you!” Veronica scolded. 

“A golden opportunity?” Betty repeated with an incredulous laugh, “Firstly, you weren’t subtle at all so that didn’t help anything. Secondly, Archie was drunk so I’m pretty sure he had no idea what was going on and thirdly, you were both gone for like five minutes. How is that a golden opportunity?” 

“Regardless, it was an opportunity nonetheless - or a waste of one anyway.” Veronica murmured, her obvious disappointment making Betty giggle. 

“Besides V, it just didn’t feel like the right time, you know,” Betty continued with a smile, a little surprised by how good she apparently was at lying. 

“No I don’t know, I honestly don’t.” Veronica sat up then, her brown eyes focused on her friend pointedly and Betty laughed as she sat up as well. 

“Seriously V, just relax and have a little faith. I promise I’m going to tell him soon I just -“ she paused and glanced towards the boys who were speeding around the yacht now in a race of some sorts, “I just need a little more time okay?” 

As expected, Veronica immediately opened her mouth to say something or to retaliate, but ultimately she relented to her friends wishes by sighing heavily and snapping it shut again instead. 

“Just promise me you actually will do it this time,” Veronica pleaded almost desperately a second later, “I’m being serious B, you deserve to be happy and I’m pretty sure that our favourite beanie wearing ‘weirdo’ might be the one to finally give you that.” 

“Oh, if only you knew how right you were V.” Betty thought to herself with a slightly smug and crooked smile. 

“I will, I will,” Betty said without hesitation, “I promise I’ll lay my soul bare to him as soon as we get back to the city.” 

Veronica smiled at the dramatic promise and gave Betty a light bump with her shoulder. 

“You better B, or I swear I will.” she threatened playfully, before she went back to sun tanning and Betty took a moment to relax, smile to herself and actually breathe as soon as she did, having somehow managed to thwart her best friend and her probing questions. Of course, she always felt mildly guilty in moments like these when she had to lie to Veronica, especially since she had always been told that lying and keeping secrets was the very definition of wrong, but she didn’t care, mostly because she would always remember what Jughead had said to her not too long ago; 

“But it’ll be worth it in the end though, right? To explore us without them getting involved”. 

Betty decided every time that he was right. Lying about this would be worth it in the end, especially if it meant that their relationship going forward would be stronger as a result. And besides, Betty was quite certain that Veronica would only be mad for maybe five seconds before she pulled her away and demanded every single detail she could possibly get out of her friend. 

So yes, everything would be fine - eventually she decided with a light chuckled. 

 

*

 

“You okay?” Betty asked with a giggle when Jughead emerged from the bathroom, his steps a little more careful than usual thanks to the mild sunburn he’d received after a day spent goofing around with Archie in the harsh sun. 

“Oh I’m just peachy.” Jughead said, gritting his teeth almost painfully as he slowly lowered himself down onto the bed. Betty smiled warmly and shuffled a little closer to him, taking in his handsome features which were tinged slightly red now.

“Well I hate to say I told you so, but I did -“ 

“- Don’t.” Jughead said, fighting back a smile of his own, “Please don’t Betts, I feel like crap already.” 

“Aww Jug.” Betty mumbled with a sympathetic smile, moving until she was close enough to press her lips to his shoulder. He sighed at the contact and she smiled wider, “Well at least you look better than Archie. He looks like an actual lobster now that his skin matches his hair.” 

Jughead laughed, letting out a series of soft, throaty sounds and Betty used the opportunity to move and carefully straddle his hips, grinning down at him broadly when he calmed down and settled his hands on her thighs, smiling up at her amorously. 

“Well I can’t speak for Archie, but I honestly thought I’d put enough sunscreen on. Guess I should have listen to you.” Jughead admitted with a rueful smile. He sighed and fiddled with the hem of the flannel shirt she wore and she smiled, lightly tracing her fingers over the subtly defined lines of his bare chest. “Is this going to be a regular thing now?” he asked, gesturing to what she was wearing. 

“I was kind of hoping it could be, as long as you’re okay with it, of course.” Betty replied, a blush dusting over her cheeks almost immediately when his blue eyes darkened and took on a heated glint. 

“Oh trust me, I’m more than okay with it. In fact,” he reached up and slowly popped open a couple of buttons, exposing more of her naked body to him, “If I wasn’t sore right now I’d show you just how okay I actually am with you wearing my clothes.” 

“Oh really?” Betty smirked, feeling that familiar sense of warmth and that obvious ache between her thighs flare up once again at his words, “And where exactly are you sore?” 

“What, are you going to kiss it and make it better?” he asked teasingly. 

“Maybe.” she replied coyly and in much the same manner.

“Everywhere then.” he said, his grin wide and suggestive as he slowly smoothed his hands over her thighs invitingly. 

“You’ll have to be a little more specific than that if you want me to help you Jug.” 

Jughead chuckled lightly and, once again, Betty felt her stomach flutter uncontrollably with a butterflies and her heart burst with complete and utter love when the husky sound filled her ears and she saw the wide smile he had spread across his face now. 

Except for the obvious, he looked so clam and handsome and relaxed now and Betty, unable to help herself, leaned down and kissed him slowly, lovingly. Her lips molding and moving against his firmly and with ease. She skimmed her hands down the length of his body and moaned softly into his mouth when he placed his hands her hips and deepened the kiss, reveling in the way he noticeably shivered beneath her fingers tips. 

“Don’t move.” she whispered, moving her lips along the line of his jaw in a series of feather light kisses. 

“That’s going to be really hard Betts.” he said, tightening his grip on her hips and groaning softly when she kissed her way down the length of his neck, her tongue peeking out to taste his skin and lick the dip of his collar bone. 

“Well you could try,” she said, smiling broadly when he completely ignored her not so simple request and snaked his arms around her waist anyway, pulling her even closer to him, “Or not.” she giggled, kissing the underside of his jaw. 

Betty pushed herself up into a sitting position then and Jughead grumbled out a protest, his eyes narrowing just a little when she moved above him, grinding her hips against his slightly. 

“Betts.” he warned. She felt him stir beneath her, his hardening length restrained by the material of his boxers, and she wiggled her hips again, the groan he breathed out along with the desire filled look in his eyes spurring on her teasing antics. 

“What?” she just managed to say right before he sat up as well and crashed his lips to hers, swallowing the surprised gasp that trickled from her throat when he did. 

Betty’s heart rate spiked through the roof and so did her desperate need for him. God, she wanted him, their once playful actions becoming more and more serious by the second as she craved him, his lips and his touch. She draped her arms around his neck then and threaded her fingers into his thick strands of hair, a breathy moan slipping out of her mouth when he pulled the flannel aside and covered her breast with his. 

“Jug ...” Betty whimpered pleadingly against his lips when he kissed her again, their actions desperate and needy now as she helped him quickly remove his boxers and mere seconds later they were both groaning with unbridled pleasure when she sank down on top him - the amazing way he stretched and filled her as magnificent as always. 

Jughead helped her move, keeping his hands firmly on her hips as she rose and fell above him in a slow, but deeply gratifying pace. In response, Betty tried to keep him as close as she possibly could, pressing her body right up against his while voicing the unbelievable satisfaction she felt by burying her face into his neck and kissing the skin there gently. Her soft and breathy pants mixing and matching with his. 

“Oh god .... Juggie.” she moaned against his ear when he bucked his hips up into hers with more effort than before and hit a particularly sweet spot, one that made her see an endless plethora of stars. She felt one of his hands slid up and over her back until it came to rest on her neck, pulling her back just a little so that he could connect their lips in a bold and deeply sensual kiss. 

When Betty came apart no less than a few minutes later she didn’t hold back, crying out rapturously through the phenomenal pleasure she felt and it wasn’t long until Jughead followed right after her, groaning and gasping her name against the crook her neck with his arms firmly wrapped securely around her. 

Sweaty and sated, they came down slowly from their high and fell back onto the mattress together, chests heaving as they snuggled into each others warmths and tried to calm down. 

“Fucking idiots.” Jughead said gruffly then, his face tucked into her loose strands of golden hair. 

“Who?” Betty asked, letting out a soft, but exhausted laugh. 

“Reggie fucking Mantle and Trevor fucking Brown ... stupid morons had no idea what they had when they had it.” 

Betty laughed again and kissed his chest a few times before she looked up at him with so much love that she could barely contain it - but she managed somehow not wanting to jinx what they had only just started not even a week ago. 

“I’m kind of glad they didn’t know actually,” Betty admitted, stroking back that stubborn curl of hair on his forehead, “Because if they had I’m not sure if I would be where I am right now.” 

“Oh you would be. I would’ve told you how I felt eventually Betts. It was only a matter of time.” he brushed back her hair as well and smiled, kissing her gently.

“Well come to think of it, I probably would’ve told you as well.” 

“Probably?” he repeated with a chuckle. 

“Shut up!” she sighed, smacking his chest lightly which made them both erupt into fits of laughter. 

“Well clearly Sabrina had no idea what she had either.” Betty said contently, once they calmed down. 

“No, she did actually. I’m the one who broke up with her,” Betty frowned and looked up at him both questioningly and with obvious surprise. Truthfully, she had never asked him about any of his previous relationships (mostly out of jealously) but it surprised her to learn now that he was the one who ended that relationship, not Sabrina. He noticed how taken aback she was by the information and smiled, gently soothing away her frown with his fingers, “I had to end it Betts. It just didn’t feel right to string her along when my heart already belonged to someone else.” 

It was the way he said it along with the clear look he had in his eyes when he did that made Betty realise that he was referring to her. That even back then, when their feelings were still so heavily repressed, she had been his one and only desire. It seemed like everything he said these days would always have an everlasting effect on her. 

“Well what a coincidence, because my heart has always belonged to you.” 

Betty smiled at him crookedly when she saw the soft, love filled look in his eyes and found herself nuzzling back into his warm chest a moment later, content to stay exactly where she was now. 

Right here. In his arms. Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are always appreciated!! Xx


	10. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, but I hope you enjoy this chapter and everything that comes with it ... :) Xx
> 
> Also, please forgive me for any mistakes.

For as long as Jughead could remember, he’d always had a rather bittersweet view on endings. 

Whether it was the ending of a good book or movie or segment of his life, he always found the moment to be strange. A bizarre combination of happiness and disappointment would take shape inside him, because while he had finally completed yet another adventure, it was now sadly over as well. The story had come full circle and there was nothing left to tell. 

As an author he always found that starting a story and ending one were usually the most difficult parts to tackle when it came to writing. The beginning - simply because it’s always hard to start. To channel everything you want the story to be while also appealing to the readers interest at the same time. The ending - simply because it’s hard to say goodbye. To bring these characters and the story you have created for them and invested in so deeply to an end whether the final note is happy or sad. 

Which is why when Jughead woke up that morning, he couldn’t stop the familiar feeling from picking away at his heart with an annoying kind of persistence, especially when he realised that today would be their last day in Rockridge. He glanced down at Betty then, who was still lying on top of him, softly snuggled into his chest and still soundly asleep, and sighed quietly, wrapping his arms around her in an almost protective manner. Their story here was coming to an end which could only mean that a new one was waiting for them around the corner. 

By this time tomorrow they would be on their way back to New York City. Back to their busy lives and to the way things used to be before they came here. Only there would be one small change - well, a big change actually, and he wasn’t sure what to expect. It wasn’t that he doubted her feelings for him. He didn’t question it. Not even for a second, but he was still worried about what the future could bring nonetheless. 

For him specifically (and probably for her as well), this past week was the closest thing to what a full blown romantic would most likely term a “fairytale” and he honestly couldn’t remember ever being happier than he was right now, but a part of him no matter how small, was afraid to expose what they had now to the harsh realities of life. They were safe here. Both of them lucky enough to live in a semi dream world where they could be with each other pretty much all the time and without anything to deter them in any way for the last six days. So naturally, he was a little apprehensive towards the possible idea of something that was beyond their control coming along with enough potential to pop their love bubble.

Of course, he knew that like any normal couple they would have to endure their own hiccups, but after years of waiting to finally have her like this, the last thing he planned on doing was running the risk of losing her simply because he didn’t try hard enough. He knew that it was all part of the game. That love came with its own bag of various risks and rewards. And he did love Betty more than he had ever loved anyone beyond his family before. He reached up then and gently stroked the apple of her cheek with his thumb, a soft, but crooked smile forming on his lips when the slightest of ones took shape on hers. 

“I’m not going to let anything happen to us Betts.” he promised not only her but himself, murmuring the words into her soft strands of golden hair that smelt faintly of vanilla, knowing in the very depths of his heart, that she would do the same. 

That they would be just fine. 

They had to be. 

 

*

 

Their final breakfast together at ‘The Cabin’ didn’t feel any different from any of the others they had shared that week. 

Jughead thought it was eerily strange how calm everyone seemed to be, especially considering the inevitable trip they would all have to make back to the city and their normal lives tomorrow. In fact, the more time he spent watching the all too familiar antics play out before him the more he believed that his friends were merely overcompensating for these moments simply because none of them really wanted to leave this amazing and surprisingly life changing just yet. 

He couldn’t really blame them for pretending like this or for ignoring what was so obvious, because like them, he didn’t want to leave either and despite his best efforts or the promise he’d made less than couple of hours ago, Jughead failed rather miserably to mimic their behavior and instead found himself shamelessly counting every painstaking second of every hour as they slowly passed - dreading it wholeheartedly. 

“Jughead!” 

The sound of Veronica’s annoyed voice followed closely by the bite sized piece of toast she threw at him quickly snapped him back to the real world where he was surprised to find all of his friends staring him expectantly. 

“Ah sorry ... I was just-“ 

“- No,” Veronica interjected pointedly, “I was just asking you if you wanted to come with Archie and I to meet some of my friends up here, but as usual it’s like talking to a brick wall.” 

“Sorry Veronica, I just ...” 

“It’s a simple question Jughead, do you want to come with, yes or no?” 

He shook his head. 

“I think I’ll just hang out here and write if that’s cool with you?” 

Veronica looked at him closely for a moment, her eyes taking on a slightly suspicious glint before she thankfully dismissed whatever thought was in her bouncing around in her mind and smiled. 

“Suit yourself.” she said with a shrug before she stood up and happily took her plate through to the kitchen. 

“Are you sure you guys don’t want to come?” Archie whispered once he was certain that his girlfriend was out of ear shot, his eyes pleading and desperate.

“Uh yeah,” Jughead said with a laugh, “Don’t try and lug us in the same boat as you. Just because you have to suffer doesn’t mean we have to as well.” 

“Ugh I know,” Archie groaned, “And I’m sorry for begging but I hate going to these lunch dates with her friends by myself. I always feel completely lost and outnumbered.” 

Normally Jughead would never have passed up on an opportunity to eat for free or to help his life long friend, but the prospect of being stuck in some room with a bunch of random girls he didn’t know from Adam while being forced to listen to meaningless gossip for what would feel like hours on end kept him from backtracking on his decision in a record amount of time. Also he had other ideas on how to spend the day ahead and none of them involved the A and V aspects of their little quartet. 

As if on cue, he heard Betty giggle beside him and felt her fingers find his under the table, and for possibly the third or maybe fourth time since they had parted ways in her bedroom this morning (rather reluctantly he might add) he took a second to truly look at her and inevitably smile when she did, his stomach tightening with knots like it always did whenever he caught her eye these days. 

“Sorry Arch, but there’s no way we’re putting ourselves through that unless we really have too and besides, but I’m sure V will be very grateful if you do this for her.” Betty said with a slightly knowing smile. She gave Jughead’s hand a gently squeeze then and if he wasn’t already on the same wave length as her he would be now. 

“Betty’s right man, and if you’re not doing this for Ronnie then do it for the free food and drinks.” Jughead added with a teasing smile of his own. 

“You’re both assholes,” Archie sighed as he pushed back from the table and stood up to leave, his lips turning up at the corners just a little when he tried to fight back the smile that threatened to form, “And of course I’m doing this for Ronnie, but I swear to God if they try to use me as a hair or makeup guinea pig again I’m blaming you guys.” 

“Duly noted Archiekins.” Jughead teased again, his faint chuckle growing with bravado when the red head shook his head and playfully flipped him off as he walked walked away. 

“Is it weird that I feel kind of guilty now?” Betty asked around another giggle. 

“Guilty?” Jughead repeated incredulously. 

She turned to face him then and glanced down at their hands (which were still hidden from view), watching idly as his long fingers twisted and molded softly with her delicate ones in an well practiced cadence. She nodded. 

“The only reason why I didn’t agree to go with him is because I wanted to spend the day with you and only you instead. That’s kind of selfish.” Betty admitted with a gentle, lopsided smile. 

“That’s not selfish Betts,” he caught her hand properly then and brought it up to his lips, dusting soft kisses against her knuckles, “I promise it’s not, it’s understandable and besides I honestly think it’s justified that we want to spend some alone time together given how new all of this is between us.” 

Betty nodded again and smiled, the blush that stained her cheeks now making it incredibly hard for him not to pull her close and kiss the breath out of her right then and there. 

“What exactly did you have in mind?” she asked. 

“Ladies choice,” Jughead replied easily, “We can do whatever you want babe.” 

“Whatever I want huh?” she smirked at the invitation and he noticed that a slightly mischievous look tainted her green eyes now, one that made him almost retract what he had just said. 

“Absolutely.” 

“So what if I wanted to go for a hike?” she asked, a light giggle falling from her lips when Jughead cringed just a little. 

Hiking or any form of strenuous or physical activity didn’t exactly appeal to him in the slightest and, of course, Betty knew that better than most. She was teasing him. He knew that better than most as well and while he would have complained bitterly in the past and come up with some alternative, his only objective today was to make her as happy as he possibly could. 

“Depends on where we’re going and how far it is.” he answered rather diplomatically, which he noticed, surprised her quite a bit. 

“Oh um,” Betty said, rolling her eyes at him playfully when he smirked at her, “Well before we left, V mentioned this lighthouse she and her family used to hike to when she was little. Apparently it’s beautiful and it’s pretty close.” 

“Okay, how close is close?” 

“About an hour I think,” Betty said with a frown, clearly uncertain, “But we could turn it into a picnic if you want, that way you’ll have something to look forward to when we get there.” 

He smiled warmly and after making sure that they were completely and utterly alone, he closed the small amount of space between them and kissed her soundly, easily swallowing her soft gasp of surprise that tricked from her throat at the bold and unexpected move. 

“Oh Betts,” he chuckled lightly after the kiss broke, his lips still brushing against hers, “You’ll be there and that alone will make it worthwhile.” 

*

They started off on the hike about ten minutes after Veronica and a dismal looking Archie said their goodbyes, promised to be back later on that afternoon and drove off. 

According to Betty, all they had to do to get to the lighthouse was follow a well worn path that ran alongside the beach. Naturally and as Jughead expected, it took them more than an hour to get there though not for any of the reasons he had anticipated. The hike itself wasn’t demanding or even hard, but it was beautiful and more often than not they would find themselves stopping to take some photographs or to take in the lovely yet simplistic surroundings that made up Upstate New York. 

It was a typically warm summers day, the kind that forced Jughead to once again relent and wear the only pair of shorts he that he actually owned, a decision Betty felt warranted a bought of playful teasing. 

“I’m being serious Juggie I think you look adorably cute when you wear shorts.” she insisted for what felt like the millionth time that day, biting down on her lip just a little to stop herself from smiling when Jughead rolled his eyes and bumped her shoulder. 

“I’m warning you Betts, quit it or I’ll be forced to carry you off and repeat that attempted midnight swim again.” he threatened with a smirk. She giggled and immediately stepped closer to him, burying herself into his side and wrapping her arms around his waist at once. 

“I was being serious though,” Betty persisted, this time with an apologetic and lopsided smile, “When I said that you look like Domhnall Gleeson in About Time when you wear shorts I really did mean that you look cute.” 

“And I was being serious when I said that I am never wearing shorts in public ever again.” Jughead said with feigned dejection, “All this harsh criticism is just too much for my poor fragile heart.” he added with an over the top sigh. 

Betty scoffed and shook her head, muttering something along the lines of “big baby.” and Jughead laughed happily when she smacked his chest, draping his arm around her shoulders and kissing the side of her head when he pulled her into his side even more. 

They arrived a short while later and as promised the clearing of beach where Rockridge’s one and only lighthouse existed was stunning indeed. It was isolated and quiet, with an unobstructed view of the untamed ocean and the endless stretch of the horizon. It really was breathtaking to look at and Jughead honestly couldn’t think of a better place to spend his final day with Betty before they had to return to the real world. 

They found a cosy spot on one of the beaches many sand dunes, laying the blanket for their picnic down amongst the scattered patches of wild grass that grew there. 

After a simple meal of cheese and tomato sandwiches with orange juice to drink, Jughead found himself sitting comfortably with Betty in his lap, watching with a crooked smile as she went through the various pictures they had taken during the hike. She stopped strolling when she stumbled across a picture she had taken of him kissing her cheek earlier and his smile widen as he pressed delicate kisses along the soft expanse of her neck, his arms tightening around her torso just a little bit more when she stayed there, keeping her eyes fixed on the photo as well. 

Normally Jughead would’ve enjoy this kind of silence, but he couldn’t help but feel like there was something off about it. Like there was something unspoken hanging between them that made it impossible for either of them to just sit back and really enjoy this. 

“What’s on you’re mind?” he asked quietly, gently kissing her temple.

Betty set the camera aside and sighed as she slowly turned in his arms, moving within the confines of his lap until she was facing him completely. Wearing a slight frown, he let his eyes wander over her, studying every inch of her face and the very depths of her green eyes. Trying to decipher what it was that troubled her. 

“Are you okay Jug?” she asked, completely ignoring his previous question. 

“Yeah sure,” he said with a shrug, “Why wouldn’t I be, especially after a day like this?” 

“Are you sure though? Because you seemed, I don’t know, a little distracted this morning.” Betty said, pressing gently. 

Jughead sighed quietly and closed his eyes. He’d hoped, rather foolishly perhaps, that she hadn’t taken notice of his strange or distant behavior from this morning and that if she had she wouldn’t bring it up, but he should have known better, of course, or at least remembered that hardly anything ever got by her. Why would this time be any different? 

“Oh that, don’t worry Betts it’s -“ he paused when she raised an eyebrow at him, clearly stating that whatever he was about to say wouldn’t satisfy her in anyway. 

“Come on Jug, I can tell something’s bothering you.” she reached up and stroked away the stubborn strands of hair off his forehead while smiling at him softly, her touch sending a wave of pure warmth right through him. “Tell me.” she begged lightly. 

“It really is silly.” he sighed, hoping to deflect away from the topic if he could, even though he knew it would be a futile effort. 

“Try me.” she persisted gently, just like he expected. He was quiet for a moment, watching idly as the grass around them dipped and swayed in the gentle breeze, before he sighed and finally spoke.

“I guess I’m just a little nervous. We’re going back to the city, to our normal lives tomorrow and I’m not really sure what to expect,” he paused and looked at her, drawing strength from the encouraging look she had in her eyes, urging him to continue, “I’m not sure what will happen tomorrow or two weeks from now or two months from now - with us I mean - and that scares the crap out of me. We’re safe here. Exactly where we are right now and I’m just worried that something beyond our control might materialize and ruin what we have because I ...” he heaved out a shaky sigh and let the silence that followed his rambling and partial confession seep over him gradually, the three words he had almost spoken and had been dying to say for a while now still dancing on the edge of his tongue. 

“That’s what you’re worried about?” Betty asked after a moment, her voice quiet and cautious. She brought her hand up to his chin when he didn’t respond and forced him to look at her. To see the comprehension in her eyes, “Jug, is that really what you’re worried about?” she asked again. 

Jughead nodded this time, the one corner of his mouth pulling into a bittersweet and lopsided kind of smile. 

“I told you it was silly.” he said lamely. 

“Well then I guess we’re both being silly, because I’ve been thinking about that as well.” 

“Really?” he asked, his eyes widening with a mixture of surprise and mild disbelief when she nodded and grinned at him slightly.

“I’m always thinking about the future. Its normal and don’t for one second think that I haven’t considered ours, but do you want to know why I’m not scared or worried?” he nodded slowly and swallowed noticeably a few seconds later when she gently traced the line of his jaw with her finger tips, her green eyes soft and swimming with something he was almost certain he recognized. “Because I love you Jug and I’m not about to let anything ruin that.” 

It’s took a second for her words to sink in properly and when they finally did, Jughead froze and tried in vain to swallow the dry lump that now existed in his throat. He remembered his thoughts from that morning and how he was so certain that she would fight for their relationship as much as he would, but hearing the words coming out of her mouth and, in person no less, only made his conviction in that idea so much stronger. 

He was also certain that it was the way she said it as well. So calmly, like she’s been rehearsing the words and how to say them for years. And now, with his heart pounding in his ears and his mind racing a mile a minute the only response he could conjure up was to cup her face with his hands and kiss her so deeply and with so much passion that when she returned the fervor of his kiss there was no doubt in his mind that she knew how he felt in that moment, even when the right words failed to form. 

“I love you too Betts. I always have and I always will.” he managed to breathe when they finally parted, his thoughts slowly starting to settle when she leaned forward and rested her forehead against his, whispering that she loved him again and that she always had as well. 

And just like that, a single moment and three simple, yet very important and meaningful words changed everything for him - and the very last thing that crossed his mind when her soft and eager lips covered his again and he lost himself in everything that was purely her, was that his concerns about the future seemed completely ridiculous and redundant now. 

Because no matter what happened he would always have her. 

 

*~*~* 

 

Despite their previous fears, returning to the city and to their normal lives turned out to be a lot easier than they originally thought and before Betty knew it, two months had passed and her relationship with Jughead was happier and stronger than ever. It was more fun than anything else actually given that their decision to keep their relationship a secret from their friends often resulted in some pretty amusing and interesting close encounters. So far there had only been three and each one was more memorable than the last. 

The first encounter happened about two weeks after they came back from The Cabin when Jughead agreed to go shopping with Betty simply because he wanted to see her after a long week of work and being away from her. Of course, as luck would have it, they ended up in the same clothing store as Veronica and spent a good twenty minutes dodging her when she actively started looking for them. 

The second incident happened a week later when they decided to watch a movie together and once again came dangerously close to their secret almost being revealed when Archie and Veronica had the same idea. Luckily it was dark so watching the movie and slipping out of the cinema unnoticed when it was done was easy enough. 

The third happened less than a week ago when Archie came into Jughead’s bedroom one morning looking for something and almost caught Betty naked in Jughead’s bed after she carelessly agreed to stay when he begged her too in more convincing ways than one. Thankfully, Archie was still half asleep to even take notice of Betty hiding under the covers or that she was curled up against Jughead’s side, something they both laughed over as soon as their oblivious friend staggered out the room and for days afterwards. 

Most of the time it was easy for them to spend time together. If they weren’t already hanging out in a group (which they did a lot), they would meet in secret. Taking a moment out of their busy days just to see each other for an hour over lunch or even coffee. Going on actual dates was a little harder though, mostly because it was nearly impossible for them to get past Archie and Veronica without drawing too much attention to themselves. Also they had no desire to repeat that movie incident. 

All joking aside the last eight weeks had been absolutely amazing and Betty couldn’t remember ever the last time she was this happy and although she knew it was wrong, she couldn’t deny that there was something incredibly exciting about sneaking around with the person you love and all the short, but passionate and intimate moments that came with it as a result. She still couldn’t believe that any of this was real or that they had actually exchanged ‘I love you’s’ on that quiet and secluded beach back in Rockridge. It all seemed so surreal. 

At the time she wasn’t scared or even hesitant to tell him. She had loved him for years and wanted nothing more than to put his mind at ease about the future and about them. Maybe it was a bit soon, but saying the words felt like a promise she making to him, that nothing would come between them now that they were together. It was a thought that had crossed her mind and plagued her as well, but having him kiss her senseless and hearing him say that he loved her and that he always had, did something indescribably wonderful to her heart. 

They quickly lost themselves in each other less than an hour later after they practically ran back to the cabin, yanked each other’s clothes and fell down onto the first couch they could find. She remembered the way he touched and kissed her. So deeply and with so much unrestrained need, his heady mouth brushing over and worshipping the natural lines and curves of her body while his hands went practically everywhere they could reach, palming her breasts or gripping and squeezing every inch of soft skin they could find. 

She arched into him eagerly, feeling overheated and aroused beyond the point of reason, so much so that by the time his teasingly slow decent down the length of her body ended with him hooking one of her legs over his shoulder and kissing her most intimate place - she barely lasted, falling apart at the mercy of his skilled tongue within a matter of minutes. 

In true Jughead fashion, he teased her about it. Chuckling against her stomach after making some kind of cheesy comment which ended with her playfully smacking his shoulder. But the jokey atmosphere was all but forgotten when he covered her flushed and still quivering body with his lean and hard one, looking down at her with heated, love filled eyes. She gazed up at him in much the same manner and slid her hands into the soft hair at the nap of his neck, absentmindedly playing with it. 

“You’re breathtaking Betty.” he whispered. 

“So are you.” she whispered back, right before he lowered his mouth to hers again and kissed her slowly, languidly - the remanence of her arousal on his tongue quickly working to set her veins on fire once again. 

She begged him to take her then. To relieve the ache she felt between her thighs again and bring them both to fulfillment now, but when he slowly pushed inside her it immediately felt different. The stretch and the way he filled her up, beyond normal and both of them could tell that this connection was raw and novel. That despite their previous sexual encounters together, neither of them had felt anything remotely close to this before. She met every hard roll and thrust of his hips with ease, wrapping her legs around his waist at some point so that he could go deeper. Her soft moans and whispered ‘Juggie’s’ mixing with his gruffly spoken words. 

Every second that passed was sensually overwhelming, the feeling that existed in both of them slowly growing until suddenly everything around them blurred together and became it became infinitely part of them, both of them groaning and gasping out their proclaimed love for each other as they shook and fell apart together, tumbling into a deep and endless state of ecstasy. 

It was only later on that evening when Betty was snuggled into his chest, listening to the faint sound of him sleeping beneath her with his hand tangled in her hair, that she realised how much love changes everything. How nothing is the same after you say ‘I Love You’ to someone and how everything literally feels brand new - every kiss, every touch and every intimate moment now altered in the best way possible. 

Even now as she lay on the living room floor in her and Veronica’s shared apartment, beneath a warm blanket and on a pile of comfy pillows a whole two months later, the simple fact that she was lying beside Jughead, curled into his side with his arms enclosed around her after their weekly movie night had come to an end, filled her heart with a unlimited mixture of warmth, comfort and excitement. Despite the familiarity of it all, it didn’t feel the way it did before - it felt even better. 

Betty sighed quietly and glanced over at her friends who were fast asleep in each other’s arms and immediately felt that familiar pang of guilt pick away at her heart once again. Ever since the last time they were almost caught, she had been wondering if all of this was actually worth it or if it was justifiable to have fun while sneaking around. Her relationship with Jughead was solid and mostly figured out now and she didn’t want Archie and Veronica to be asleep or away before they could do something as simple as cuddling or holding hands. 

She tightened her arms around Jughead’s torso and pressed her lips to his neck gently, a smile creeping across her lips when she felt him stir at her touch. 

“Juggie?” she whispered. 

“Hmmm.” he mumbled back, blinking just a little so that she could see that he was awake. 

Betty skimmed her lips along the length of his neck until she reached his ear, her decision on what to do next firmly made up in her mind now. 

“I want to tell them.” she said. He opened his eyes properly then and shifted just enough to look at her and Betty saw that he knew exactly what she meant already. 

“Are you sure?” he asked, his eyes drifting towards their unsuspecting friends. Betty nodded firmly.

“Jug, the past two months have been wonderful, but I don’t feel like hiding anymore. I want to go on real dates and do normal couple things with you without any concerns.” she reached up and caressed his cheek, smiling brightly when he gently grabbed her hand and kissed it, “I want everyone to know how much I love you.” 

He was silent for a moment and even in the cracked darkness that engulfed them she could see the uninterrupted happiness that slowly filled his eyes with every second that he spent staring at her. It was enough to tell her that he wasn’t against the idea and like everything he did these days it made her heart burst with the endless love she felt for him to know that he was on the same page as her. 

“What?” Betty asked with a smirk. 

“Nothing. I just love you so much and I can’t believe how lucky I am.” he whispered, before he leaned in and kissed her gently, his arms pulling her even closer to him than she already was. 

The next morning when Archie and Veronica woke up they were both confused and astonished to see Jughead sitting on the couch with Betty perched comfortably on his lap, their happy and carefree smiles firmly in place. 

“Morning guys, did you sleep well?” Jughead asked. 

“Uh yeah,” Veronica murmured, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took in the sight before her. Even Archie who was still half asleep looked just as bewildered as she did. “What’s going on here?” she asked waving a hand between the two of them. 

Betty and Jughead forced themselves not to laugh and exchanged knowing smiles before they turned back to Archie who looked confused beyond words and Veronica who looked like she was about to smack them both over the head. 

“Well we have something to tell you both ...” Jughead began with a smug grin. 

“... And you might want to sit down when we do.” Betty finished, with a giggle and a teasing smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are always appreciated!! :) Xx


	11. Shelter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, I had a ton of stuff to take care of in the real world. Anyways hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you so much for you patience and all the support, seeing it really makes my day!!! :) Xx 
> 
> As usual, please forgive me for any mistakes.

Eight years. 

That’s how long Betty had known Veronica and in all that time she had never found herself in a situation quite like this; one where her raven haired best friend was left completely speechless by two simple words; “We’re dating.” 

By now it was a preconceived notion that Veronica Lodge always had something to say. Whether it was a comment or a statement, a look or even a gesture. She always had a comeback or, as she liked to call it, the final word. So naturally, the uneasy silence that filled the room now was deafening and it made Betty feel more than the usual level of nervousness. Despite the fact that she was seated quite comfortably on Jughead’s lap, she couldn’t stop herself from imagining the worst possible outcome now, completely aware that it could very well be a possibility at this point. 

In an effort to calm herself down she focused on the only thing that could possibly ease her right now. She focused on Jughead, who seemed so stoic and relaxed compared to how she felt. She paid close and specific attention to his hand and its casual placement on her hip, finding a tremendous amount of comfort in the warmth that spread throughout her body whenever his fingers brushed over the small patch of exposed skin he had found there. 

It worked briefly. 

Her heart rate slowed. Her nervous thoughts calmed and for just a few glorious seconds Betty managed to mimic his calm persona, to convince herself that maybe she was being a tad bit ridiculous about this whole thing. That their teasing approach wasn’t as inappropriate as she had originally thought, until she caught sight of Veronica’s brown eyes again, which were focused on Jughead’s hand as well now. 

There was nothing there. No anger. No confusion. No happiness. No sadness. Just nothing and without a hint of mercy it slowly cracked away the new confidence Betty had just found and it became quite clear to her that in this specific instance, no reaction was actually worse than a reaction. How was she supposed to prepare herself if she had nothing to refer too? Was Veronica mad or upset or happy or all three perhaps? 

Betty had no idea. In fact, for the first time ever she had no idea what her best friend was thinking. Thankfully though her other friend was about as easy to read as a book. In fact, Archie looked downright shocked and maybe even a little confused as he pondered over the new information, mostly likely trying to piece together how or when all of this could’ve happened, but there was an unmistakable glint of excitement and happiness in his eyes that made it easy to see how he truly felt. 

Still that reassuring sight wasn’t enough to quell her fast growing anxiety. Not by a long shot. 

Seeking some kind of comfort and a potential shield from whatever was about to transpire next, she leaned into Jughead’s side a little more and a soft, but still grateful sigh fell from her lips when he gave her hip a squeeze and rubbed it gently. It was his way of telling her that he knew that she was worried and that he was anxious too, but more importantly it reminded her that he was right there with her, ready to take on what ever came next. She briefly considered saying something, clearing her throat maybe or finding some way to break the tension if she could, but before she could even open her mouth Veronica stood up and approached her with purpose. 

Everything that happened next was a bit of blur and before Betty knew it Veronica was tugging her down the hallway towards the nearest bedroom and she was glancing back over her shoulder at Jughead just in time to see the encouraging smile he gave her, a silent promise that he would be there for her in a heartbeat if she needed him. 

It was reassuring. Uplifting even, but as soon as Veronica pulled Betty into her bedroom and closed the door behind them, that feeling quickly dissipated and it didn’t return any time soon, especially when Veronica turned to face her, staring at her intently, her eyes still piercing and unreadable. 

Naturally, Betty felt uneasy all over again and rightly so, she was trapped now and her protection in the form of her caring boyfriend was a whole door and hallway away now. When she had pictured this moment two months ago on that yacht back in Rockridge, she had never imagined or anticipated anything remotely close to this. Sure, she had foreseen the anger and the confusion perhaps, but she assumed that it would quickly burn off into ecstatic happiness and a flurry of questions like it always did whenever she didn’t tell Veronica something right a way. She certainly hadn’t anticipated this. 

It was only when Veronica sighed that Betty finally knew what was coming. Despite the guilt she felt, she wasn’t about to take back her decision not to say anything about her relationship with Jughead. She would stand by it firmly. She had her reasons after all and she only hoped that her friend would understand that. 

“The details,” Veronica said, folding her arms cross her chest expectantly, “I want all of them and I want them now.”

Fair enough, Betty thought with a small smile before she sighed and told Veronica exactly what she wanted to hear. 

From everything that happened on the night of the bonfire to the moment that had passed between them just last night, Betty spilled all the details of her escapades with Jughead over the last two months and with every word she spoke, she could feel that guilty weight on her heart slowly start to disappear until it was almost gone. Luckily, by the time she had finished speaking, they were both sitting on her bed and Veronica seemed to be a little more relaxed and a lot easier to read, much to Betty’s internal relief. 

“So let me get this straight,” Veronica said a little dramatically, “You and Jughead have been secretly dating this whole time and I completely missed it!” Betty nodded and allowed herself to smile just a little when her friend let out a loud groan and fell back onto the bed. ”And few weeks ago when I thought I spotted the two of you in that clothing store and then found one of Jughead’s T-shirt in the laundry a few days later, I wasn’t actually going crazy and he didn’t accidentally leave it behind did he?” 

“No you weren’t and no he didn’t,” Betty said with a sigh, shifting to lie down as well, “To be fair though, we were being extra careful around you and Archie.” 

“Still,” Veronica said, chuckling lightly, “I can’t believe I missed that ... I’m actually kind of impressed the two of you managed to dupe me for so long.” 

“Yeah,” Betty said quietly, her lips pulling into a small, lopsided smile, “I’m a little surprised as well, but -“ she paused and turned slightly to look at her friend, gnawing on her bottom lip with uncertainty now, “Be honest V, are you mad that I didn’t tell you?” 

Betty waited nervously and watched Veronica closely when she sighed and turned onto her side as well, because even though she wasn’t furious right now doesn’t mean that she wasn’t hurt or maybe a little angry. Either way Betty would understand. After all she couldn’t think of a situation when lying to someone ended without some kind of consequence. 

“I’m not mad, B. Not at all. Knowing that the two of you are now finally together after all this time is amazing, but -“ she paused and smiled slightly, an action Betty pegged as being more sad than happy, “I just want to know why you waited so long to tell me?” 

“I guess it just kind of panned our that way. I always planned on telling you V, but everything with Jug happened so fast and over such a short period of time. It was a little overwhelming and you of all people know better than most how long I’ve been waiting for this to happen, so I just,” Betty paused when Veronica smiled softly and reached out to gently stroke her arm, the action finally letting her relax properly, “I just needed to make sure that this was all real before I let anyone else in and I felt like I needed to make that decision on my own.” 

“I get,” Veronica said, smiling and nodding her head slightly, “Kind of reminds me of how careful Archie and I were being around you in the beginning.” 

“Yeah, only you guys were about as subtle as a gun,” Betty teased and both of them laughed, no doubt remembering the countless times during their high school days when Betty had basically walked in on them making out. 

“Right,” Veronica said around a giggle, “Thank god your “crush” on Archie was just a way to temporarily distract yourself from your real beanie wearing crush,” she sat up then and grabbed Betty’s hands, prompting her to do the same, “That being said, I am mad about one thing.” 

Betty frowned for a second and quickly tried to piece together what her friend was getting at. 

“I’m mad because you literally waited until the last minute to tell me this, I mean, Archie and I have just over a month left until we move!” the raven haired girl whined, “Do you know how many double dates we’ll have to fit in now before we leave?” 

Betty grinned with relief and giggled at how Veronica-esque the response was. It was the kind of reaction she had been expecting from the very beginning and, thankfully, it alleviated the tense and uncertain atmosphere at once, leaving no hint of discomfort between them anymore. Betty was grateful for it, because even though she wouldn’t have backtracked on her choices having any kind of tension with one of her most vital and beloved friends would’ve been awful to deal with. 

“I’m guessing a lot?” 

“So many!” Veronica said with that same intense kind of excitement that Betty was used too, “Starting today and let’s not forget all the questions I obviously have, like is he a good kisser or -“

“- Oh he’s an incredible kisser.” Betty interjected then, giggling bashfully when Veronica immediately smirked and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. 

“And the sex?” 

Betty smirked this time and rolled her eyes. Yup, that’s Veronica Lodge ... 0-60 in less than a few seconds. Honestly though, she didn’t expect anything less. 

“Phenomenal ... better than I ever could’ve imagined.” 

“Oh my god, I knew it!” Veronica squealed happily, “You see B, I told you you totally should’ve listened to me sooner!”

Betty laughed happily then and reached for her friend immediately, pulling her in for a much needed hug and in that moment she found herself thinking that like before, Veronica was in fact right. She was right about everything regarding Jughead and now all Betty could think about as they held on to each other was that she should’ve listened to her friend a long time ago, because she couldn’t remember being happier than she was right now. 

 

*

 

Turns out Veronica wasn’t kidding about the whole double date thing, because as soon as she and Betty left the room (with their friendship still well and truly intact) she announced that the four of them would be spending the day together in the city. No exceptions. 

Of course the idea was an undeniable success mainly because Betty could be with Jughead without any guilt or any reason to hide. They could finally be a real couple in the public eye and around their friends - a massive feat indeed. Even now as Betty stood in the bathroom, getting ready for bed, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling every time she recalled the the way he had casually held her hand throughout the day or the way they hugged and kissed each other whenever they felt like it. It was honestly the best feeling in world and she was certain that nothing would ever come close to this. To being with him. 

She finished up and made her way back to her room, pausing just outside the semi open door when the familiar sound of Jughead’s husky laughter filled her ears. 

“Yeah I know - I know, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner JB ... I promise I’ll explain everything to you when I see you again, okay?” she heard him say and a wide grin formed on her lips when he laughed once again. The smooth sound filling her with even more happiness and warmth if that was even possible. She sighed quietly and stepped into the room, finding Jughead exactly where she pictured him; sitting on her bed with his back against the frame. 

“Yeah alright I’ll let her know.” he said, smiling brightly when he saw her come in. He said goodbye then and hung up, still smiling from ear to ear. 

“JB?” Betty asked with a knowing, closing the door behind her and switching off the main light. 

“Yeah,” Jughead chuckled, “I just told her about us.” 

“And what did she say?” she asked, pulling her hair out of its usual ponytail. 

“That you should enjoy me while you can because she’s going to kill me when she sees me again.” he said with a laugh. 

“Oh so she took it well then.” Betty teased as climbed into bed with him. He smirked and reached for her at once, pulling her onto his lap where she settled comfortably with his hands on her hips. 

“She did actually, threatening to kill me is her way of saying that she’s happy for me.” 

“Of course it is,” Betty giggled, smoothing her hands lightly over his chest, “Well at least everyone knows about us now and that’s the important thing.” 

“Well technically we haven’t told everyone yet,” Betty frowned and he chuckled, slipping his hands under her shirt a little more, “We still need to tell our parents, remember?” 

She closed her eyes and sighed at the thought. Of course, she remembered. It was kind of hard not too given that they had only decided to tell their parents about their relationship last and in person less than a few hours ago. She swallowed thickly at the thought and tried to ignore the way her heart tightened in her chest or how she wanted to curl her hands into rigid fists - an unfortunate reflex action that always popped up at the mere mention of Alice Cooper and the notion of her perfectly manicured childhood. She would probably never admit it out loud, but it scared her - the idea of exposing what she and Jughead had together to a person who had an unabated tendency to destroy pretty much everything she touches. 

“Betts?” she felt Jughead fingers brush over her cheek then and flinched with mild surprise at the contact, something that immediately caught his attention, “Hey, are you alright?” he asked, his blue eyes instantly filling with worry. 

Without really thinking Betty opened her mouth to say something, but she hesitated almost immediately not entirely sure what to say. Her issues with her mom were well known to both of them, but it felt a little silly to burden him with her minor insecurities especially since they probably wouldn’t amount to anything or they would just end up being redundant anyway. 

“Yeah,” she managed to say, plastering on the most convincing smile she could muster, “Sorry Juggie I’m fine, just a little tired is all.” 

“Are you sure?” he asked gently, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. She nodded again and thankfully, after studying her closely for a second, he sighed and eventually seemed to buy it - though she suspected not entirely. In fact, she could tell that he didn’t really believe her and figured that he was probably giving her some space. Something she greatly appreciated. 

“Come here.” he said after a moment, gently wrapping his arms around her and Betty sighed with relief when she snuggled into his chest, welcoming the embrace with open arms in the hopes that being near him would help suppress her thoughts like it had so many times in the past. He turned off the bed side lamp and shifted them down into a sleeping position and she buried her face into the crook of his neck when he did, focusing on the soft yet comforting kisses he dusted against her hair while breathing him in almost desperately until the peaceful state of sleep finally claimed her. 

A peaceful state that, unfortunately, was short lived.

 

*~*~*

 

In all his twenty four years, Jughead could count the number of times he had experienced Betty’s nightmares on one hand - each encounter going down as some of the most frightening moments he had ever witnessed, especially because they always started the same way. 

He had only been asleep for a maybe three or four hours when he was suddenly jolted awake to the sight and sound of Betty shaking violently and furiously sobbing beside him. In the past he would’ve panicked and probably would’ve dashed from the room to find Archie or Veronica for help, this time however he was ready and as calm from the very get go, because the second he noticed that she was curled into the fetal position and that her hands which were clenched into dangerously tight fists, he quickly pushed aside his own terrors and sprang into action immediately. 

He woke her the only way he knew how; carefully and slowly, by grabbing her shoulders and shaking her firmly while whispering a series of softly spoken words in her ear, desperately begging her to wake up.

“Hey hey ... Betts - baby, wake up. Wake up ... You’re okay ... you’re okay baby .... you’re just dreaming.” he said earnestly, pleading with her over and over again, tears forming his eyes now as well. It took a few tries, but she eventually gasped and woke with a start, looking terrified and confused at first until she realised where she was and that she wasn’t alone. 

“Jug - Juggie ...” she managed to choke out when her eyes focused on him, still trembling and gulping for air. 

Jughead breathed out an obvious sigh of relief and sat up at once, pulling her into his lap and cradling her against his chest without a moments hesitation. He reached for her hands then and his heart twisted painfully in his chest when he finally managed to loosened them and saw the fresh moon shaped marks and blood that littered her palms now. He cursed under his breath and kissed the side of her head when she noticed the wounds as well and melted into him as a result, her hands grasping at the material of his shirt now instead. 

“Juggie, I ... I don’t know what ... I just - “

“Shhh, it’s okay,” he breathed, running a hand over her arm and shoulder soothingly, “It’s okay Betts.” 

He repeated the words to her over and over again, sheltering her as best he could while she steadied herself and calmed down. He knew already what it was that had probably caused this, the conversation about her mother filtering through his mind at the thought. He knew that there was something wrong, that she wasn’t being entirely truthful when she said that she was just tired, but despite the fact that he wanted to know what was troubling her, he chose not to push her instead. Now he wished he had and wished he hadn’t reminded her. 

“You okay now?” he asked when she finally stopped shaking and her breathing slowed. He felt her nod slightly and leaned back to look at her, running his eyes over every inch of her face carefully, “Do you want to talk about it?” 

It was a standard question, one he generally asked her when she had an episode like this and he knew, based off past experiences, that she would either open up or keep it in just a little bit longer. 

“It was just a nightmare.” Betty whispered, in a way that made him think that she was trying to convince herself that that was true. 

“About your mom?” he pressed gently. She sniffed and nodded again. 

“I kept thinking about her finding a way to ruin what we have when we tell her about us.” she glanced at him and sighed when she saw the look on his face, “I know it’s sounds stupid Jug, but you’re the best thing that has ever happened to me and she has a tendency to destroy the things I love the most.” 

He gritted his teeth at the admission, well aware after years of being friends with Betty what Alice Cooper was capable of and the damage she had already done to this incredible woman in his arms. He knew that it bothered her. It bothered him immensely as well, to the point where he had found himself almost stepping out of line and telling Alice Cooper to take a long walk off a short pier more than once. 

It would be truthful to say that these “nightmares” were a less intense form of PTSD, caused by the harsh and unnecessary way Betty had been raised to be the most perfect version of herself. It made him sick to even think about it, because in his eyes Betty Cooper had always been prefect. Since the very first day they met back in kindergarten she had been beyond anything he could ever imagine. 

He wanted her to see that as well and while he knew that Betty’s life had gotten infinitely better since leaving Riverdale, he hoped that going back there to tell their parents about them would make her see that who she was back then and who she was forced to be was completely irrelevant and not admissible anymore, because she was the person she was always meant to be now. 

“That’s not stupid Betts.” he said with conviction, giving his head a slight shake, “I know your mom is a major sore spot for you, but you should know by now that’s there’s nothing she could possibly do to chase me away.”

“I know, but -“ 

“ - No Betts,” he interrupted gently, “Listen to me okay, there is nothing she can say or do that will change anything between us. There’s nothing either of our parents can do, okay? Nothing will ever change how much I love you, because I always have and I always will.” He brought a hand up to her face and caressed her cheek, his heart almost breaking when he saw fresh tears forming in her eyes again, “Do you believe that?” he asked her quietly, “Do you believe me?” 

It took her a second for her to gather her thoughts and fight back the tears that threatened to spill over again, but she nodded her head eventually and spoke. 

“I do and I love you too.” she said and Jughead smiled warmly, leaning down to kiss her softly. 

“Come on, lets get you cleaned up.” he murmured against her lips. 

 

*

 

He took care of her hands first. Gently washing them in the sink before he took his time inspecting the fresh cuts. Thankfully none of them were particularly bad or deep and just like the first time Betty had shown them to him back in high school, he lifted her hands up to his lips and kissed the marred skin gently, brushing his lips over each and every one. He told her not to cry when she did and hugged her tightly, reminding her that he loved her, that he loved every inch of her, no matter what. 

He started the shower then and helped her undress, keeping his eyes fixed on her and only her even as he removed her pajama pants and underwear. It was only when Betty raised her hand and ran her thumb along the skin beneath his one eye that he stopped, her own eyes watching him closely. 

“Were you crying?” she asked, frowning at him. Jughead nodded and grabbed the hem of her shirt next, silently asking her if he could take it off. She lifted her arms up in response and he pulled it off her body with ease, smiling down at her crookedly as if to say I’m fine, we’re fine - when he saw the worry in her eyes. 

“I’m sorry if I scared you.” she said, using both of her hands to cup his face now. Jughead mimicked her actions by bringing his hands up to her face as well before he leaned down and kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth when she moaned into it, curling and rubbing her tongue against his in an slow and simple cadence. 

“You didn’t. I promise you didn’t.” he said, reassuring her when the kiss finally broke. He would never admit otherwise - even if it was true. 

 

*

 

Once they stepped inside the shower, Jughead quickly lathered up his hands with her vanilla scented soap and spent a good amount of time gently washing her, sliding his hands over the lines and curves of her body with purpose and ease. There was nothing sexual or enticing about it, but that didn’t stop either of them from smiling and sharing chastised kisses like the two loved up idiots they were during certain parts. He washed her hair next, asking her to turn around and stand beneath the spray so that he could massage the shampoo into her hair and help her rinse it out easily. 

By the time he was done, he was relieved to see that Betty seemed to be a little more relaxed and calm now, a happy smile firmly in place while her nightmare quickly became a long forgotten memory. She smirked at him then and reached for the shampoo, her green eyes warm and inviting. 

“Your turn.” she said, squeezing some into her palm. He smirked and turned around without question, relishing in the feeling that coursed through his body when her finger slipped into his hair and massaged the shampoo into his scalp. For what felt like hours, he focused on her hands and every move they made, the feeling he felt only intensifying with every second that passed. 

It was only when he felt her hands leave his hair and slid down the expanse of his neck and back that his relaxed state of mind was finally broken. 

“Betts ...” he started to say, but his train of thought was broken when she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his skin, kissing her way across his broad shoulders. With one hand on his hip, she skimmed her other hand around to his front, sliding her fingers over and along the dips and grooves of his defined torso, dropping them dangerously close to where he would want her to go. He leaned back slightly and groaned at the new feeling her actions brought, one that made the heat inside him stir. 

Jughead turned around then and she barely had a chance to catch her breath before stole it all over again, kissing her now with little to no restraint. Betty sighed and then whimpered almost desperately into the kiss when he stepped back and pushed her up against the wall of the shower, his actions pressing their overheated bodies together and deepening the already heady kiss with ease. 

“Jug ...” Betty groaned when his mouth left hers to kiss his way down her neck while his hands travelled down even further until they slipped under her thighs and hoisted her up, prompting her to wrap her legs around his waist. He pressed her against the wall even more then and moved lower, covering her one breast with his mouth and swirling his tongue around her taut nipple, his body stirring even more when she moaned loudly and draped her around his neck, her hands slipping back into his soaped up hair and pulling on it lightly.

He wanted to help her forget. To chase away any and all thoughts of Alice “the drill sergeant” Cooper, with the hopes of them never returning again and he could tell by the way she responded and arched into him that that was exactly what she wanted as well. 

So he did just that, covering her sweet, swollen and needy mouth in a slow and drugging kind of kiss when thrusted himself into her, both of the groaning against each other lips when they felt the same amount of astonishing pleasure. He rolled and thrusted his hips into hers steadily and kissed her breathlessly, every desire filled, breathy moan of his name and sensual movement she made in response spurring him on and fueling his own desperate need to bring her to fulfillment. 

“God, you feel so good baby.” he breathed right against her ear, kissing the skin he found there. He could feel that he was close now and that she was too, but he reached down and brushed his fingers over her already sensitive and slick folds, almost falling apart right on the spot when she cried out against his ear. 

“Oh god Juggie, don’t ... don’t stop.” she begged, right before they both fell apart together and shattered, groaning and gasping out their love for each other, wrapped and tucked into each others warmth. When they both finally calmed down, Jughead pulled back to look at Betty and grinned broadly when he saw the wide, satisfied smile on her face. 

“You feeling better now? All memories of your horrible dragon of a mother forgotten?” he asked with a smirk and a wink. She rolled her eyes and laughed lightly, the warm and beautiful sound restoring the final pieces of heart at once. 

“What mother?” she said with a coy smile, before she leaned in again, kissed him deeply and begged him to take her back to bed and make her forget all over again. 

Of course he was more than happy to oblige her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thoughts and comments are always appreciated!! :)


	12. Goodbyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, this chapter kind of got away from me .... Lol. Sorry for taking so long to get it out and thank you so much for your patience and your support. Things are a little tricky for me at the moment and I’ve been struggling to write as a result. 
> 
> I’m not exactly thrilled with this chapter, but it’s here and I hope you like it nonetheless. Xx
> 
> Also, please forgive me for any mistakes.
> 
> Love you all.

“Goodbye” is the hardest thing to say to someone who means the world to you, especially when “goodbye” isn’t what you want. 

Jughead remembered reading those words somewhere before, in a book maybe or in a magazine perhaps and he remembered thinking that while they were poignant in a way, they were ultimately meaningless to him at the time ... now though, they were relevant. Very relevant. 

Being young and naive once, he used to think that he was the only person who truly hated the idea of saying goodbye or didn’t and couldn’t see the bright side of letting someone go when, in reality, the concept was loathed on an universal level and he quickly realised that there were very few people on this planet who liked to say goodbye to anything or anyone. It would always be hard no matter the circumstances. Which is why with every second that passed now, slowly inching him closer and closer to his hometown, the stark reality of finally having to face it became impossible to ignore. 

But, in all honesty, saying goodbye to his little sister was something he had spent months preparing for and while it was undeniably sad, there was a far more pressing matter weighing down on his mind right now. 

He sighed quietly and glanced back at Betty who was sitting on the back seat of Archie’s truck with Veronica, a feeling of pure relief rippling through him once again when he saw that she was still fast asleep. It had been three weeks since her nightmare and while there had been plenty of distractions thanks to Veronica and her insistence that they go on as many double dates as possibe before she and Archie moved to Paris, Jughead could tell that the emotional episode that night had definitely left its mark on her. Both mentally and physically. 

‘Hate’ is a pretty strong word - one Jughead hardly ever used in speech or writing, but considering the recent circumstances he found that it was the prefect word to use regarding how he felt about Alice Cooper these days. 

Truthfully, he had never liked Betty’s mother, but after learning the horrible truth of what she had been doing her daughter for years and seeing the moon shaped scars that marred her hands now as a result, his bitterness towards Alice Cooper had shifted into an intense and seething kind of hatred. He loathed her more than he ever had after that day and whenever he went over to the Cooper house to do his homework with Betty or to spend some time with her, he had to force himself to bite back his anger towards Alice more than once when she gave him a reason too. 

Yet despite the recent nightmare she had just had, Betty insisted (rather stubbornly) that they still needed to tell their parents about their relationship and that they needed to tell them soon, reassuring him that she would be fine especially if he was there beside her. Naturally, Jughead didn’t like the idea one bit given that he, Archie and Veronica could all see the obvious distress this caused her. Normally he would’ve argued with her or begged her to reconsider, but ultimately he knew that she was right. Telling their parents about them was unavoidable. 

He was certain that his dad would be supportive, proud and happy for both of them in his own way, but he knew that Alice was unpredictable and emotionally vicious when she wanted to be and he only hoped that that fact wouldn’t backfire on them too much. 

“Do you think she’ll be alright?” he heard Archie ask then, the red heads voice quiet and cautious. 

“I don’t know,” Jughead said honestly and with a soft sigh, wishing that he could be more certain, “But I plan on making sure that she will be. We both have to Arch. No matter what.” He glanced at his friend then and saw the unwavering look of understanding and promise in his eyes. 

It was a comforting sight, enough for Jughead to turn in his seat and focus his attention on the road ahead. He had kept his mouth shut for so long, mostly out of respect for Betty and because he knew that it wasn’t his place to say something, but if Alice Cooper did anything to upset his girlfriend tonight he wouldn’t restrain himself. He wouldn’t hold back. Not anymore. 

The rest of the trip passed easily and it was only when Archie pulled his truck into the parking lot outside Riverdale’s Pickens Park that his previous anxieties about the evening ahead returned. It was already late in the afternoon when they arrived and judging by the distinct sounds of laughter and jovial music drifting on the zealous breeze, Jellybean’s Going Away Party was already in full swing. 

Keeping himself as calm as possible, Jughead helped Archie unload the cooler box and camping chairs from the bed of the truck and then he waited, watching until his friend and Veronica started walking off towards the party before he quickly reached for Betty’s hand and gently pulled her back to him. 

“Before we go in there, I need to know; are you one hundred percent sure about this Betts?” he asked when he saw the questioning look on her face, “Because if you aren’t we can always fake being sick and head straight for the hotel.” 

Betty giggled at the offer and shrugged, the somber look in her green eyes telling him that she could see the worry and uncertainty stirring in his. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and leaned back against the truck. 

“I’m not sure about anything when it comes to my mother anymore Jug, but I’m not going to lie about us just to keep her happy or to keep the peace. I’m going to tell her tonight and whatever happens - happens. We’ll deal with the aftermath later.” 

Jughead nodded and smiled at her softly, bringing his hands up to her neck so that he could stroke her cheeks with his thumbs. 

“Well in that case, I want you to know that no matter what happens tonight I’ll be right here for you and that I love you with everything I have.” 

Betty smiled as well and reached for the collar of his flannel, pulling him in for a warm, soft and slow kiss. One that eased his troubled heart and mind within an instant. 

“I know,” she said quietly, “And I love you too Juggie. Always and with everything I have as well.” 

He grinned broadly then and tugged her into his side at once, kissing her forehead gently and giving her one last hug before they finally parted and entered the belly of the beast together. Hand in hand. 

*

Jughead had never been much of a party person. Throughout his time in high school and college he had successfully avoided his fair share of social gatherings, but when the occasion called for it (and he didn’t really have much of a choice) he wouldn’t necessarily stop himself from trying to enjoy the festivities. Naturally, his own sister’s farewell would be no exception. 

Even though it had been a little more than six months since he had last seen Jellybean in person, Jughead knew exactly what to expect when they were reunited now. Which is why he wasn’t remotely surprised when the first thing he heard when he and Betty stepped into view of everyone was a loud and excitable scream. He just managed to drop Betty’s hand before Jellybean suddenly appeared and smashed right into him, almost tackling him to the ground when she threw her arms around him in a tight and desperate hug. 

It took him a few seconds to respond and catch his breath, but he hugged her back as soon as he could, laughing with a massive smile on his face when she squealed out how happy she was to see him again. 

“Oh my god J! I can’t believe you’re actually here!” JB shrilled happily.

“Well of course I’m here!” Jughead said around a laugh, “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world, JB.” 

She pulled back to look at him then and he was greeted with the familiar sight of his younger sister. Tall (but not as tall as him), pale skinned, blue eyed and with long black hair - Jellybean Jones was often mistaken for being his twin sister - a fact they both found pretty amusing. He was about to say something else when, in true Jellybean fashion she didn’t give him the chance, giving him a good hard whack on the chest before he could. 

“And what was that for exactly?” he asked with light chuckle, rubbing the tender spot gently. He heard what sounded like a giggle and glanced at Betty just in time to see her smile and bite down on her bottom lip. 

“It was for two reasons actually,” Jellybean said. She narrowed her eyes at her brother and folded her arms across her chest indignantly. Something Betty and Jughead both found rather amusing, “Firstly, it was for taking an absolute age to finally tell Betty how you feel about her and secondly, it was for lying to me about your relationship for two,” smack, “whole,” smack, “months!” 

JB slapped his chest once more and this time Betty couldn’t stop herself from laughing at his expense. 

“Don’t beat him up to much Jelly” she giggled, stepping closer to her boyfriend. She smiled at him softly wrapped an arm around his waist, “To be fair, he was just doing what I asked him to do.” 

“Exactly,” Jughead said, smirking just a little as he draped an arm over her shoulders, “So I think someone owes me an apology.” 

“Huh, fat chance of that!” JB scoffed, defiantly as ever. Jughead raised an eyebrow at her questioningly and she sighed, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, “Okay fine, maybe hitting you like a maniac was a little uncalled for, but that still doesn’t excuse you from taking a ridiculously long time to tell Betty about your feelings for her.” 

“Wow,” Jughead said, forcing out a laugh, “You make it sound like it was such an easy decision to make. Just forget the fact it could’ve blown up in our faces and ruined a life long friendship.” he retorted sarcastically. 

“Oh stop being so dramatic you big weirdo!” JB said dismissively, “You’re dating now, you’re both ridiculously happy and, correct me if I’m wrong, but everything is fantastic, right? I’m pretty sure that’s the exact opposite of you’re little apocalyptic vision, isn’t it?.” 

“Yes, but -“

“Exactly,” JB said, cutting him off without mercy, “So just make sure you don’t lie to me ever again or I’ll be forced to make good on that threat to kill you.” 

“I think that sounds fair,” Betty joked, chuckling and playfully bumping into Jughead’s side when his jaw dropped slightly. As if on instinct he considered protesting or trying to defend himself, but he barely had a chance to form a sentence before Betty leaned up and pressed her lips to his, effectively silencing both him and his thoughts. 

“Eww” Jellybean said when they broke apart a few seconds later, “Just because I’m happy for you guys doesn’t mean I want to watch you play tonsil hockey with each other.” 

“Noted.” Betty giggled, casting a sideways glance at Jughead and winking at him when he simply rolled his eyes. 

He stood back then and watched happily as two of the most important people in his life hugged and giggled and spoke in their own little bubble for a while, fully aware that despite everything he would have to face tonight, he had time say what still needed to be said. 

*

If there was an element of any party that Jughead absolutely detested it was being forced to try and socialize with people he hardly knew. Which is why he would always stay joined to the hip of someone he knew or, alternatively, he would make sure he was always close to the food table. Luckily, he was fortunate enough to have both options openly available to him. 

It had been a couple of hours now since they had arrived at the party and after being pulled around like a rag doll by Jellybean to do the compulsory meets and greets with all of her overly excited high school friends, Jughead was finally set free and it wasn’t long until he found himself sitting at one of the parks many picnic tables, watching the small crowds of festive people and barely listening to a single word his surprisingly chipper father and Archie were saying. 

He sighed quietly and like he had done so many times before in the last hour, he shifted his focus onto Betty, a small smile forming on his lips as he watched her and Jellybean burst out into fits laughter over something that was unknown to him. It was an image he had seen many times before in the past, but this time it was different. Because this time Betty Cooper was his girlfriend and nothing made him happier than seeing her so carefree, composed and untroubled even though the main source of her entrenched anxiety lurked nearby. 

Jughead glanced at Alice then and finished off the last of his beer when he noticed that her stringent and disapproving green eyes were fixed on Betty once again. It wasn’t hard for him to guess why she looked so unimpressed, especially when he remembered the kiss he and Betty had shared in front of everyone shortly after they had arrived. There’s no way Alice could’ve missed that and the only comfort he could really draw from the situation was that she hadn’t reacted to it yet. 

Still, he couldn’t help but seethe with anger at the sight and with every infuriating second that passed he continued to twist the bottom of his empty beer bottle into the wooden surface of the table, contemplating. Deciding whether he should act or not, but the unexpected sound of someone saying his name broke that train of thought as quickly as it had formed. 

“Jug?” FP asked, giving his son a gentle shove. 

“Huh?” Jughead shook his head and quickly composed himself only to discover that Archie was now gone and that his father was staring at him curiously. 

“You still with us?” his dad asked with a smirk. 

“Barely,” Jughead joked lightly, “Sorry dad, what were you saying?” 

“Oh nothing important really, just that it’s really good to see you again and that I’m insanely happy for the two of you.” FP smiled and inclined his head in Betty’s direction then and Jughead followed his his eyes, grinning when he saw her as well. She was talking to Archie and Veronica now and the familiar sight was enough to temporarily distract him. 

“Yeah, thanks dad and uh .... I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about all of this sooner.” he said apologetically. 

“Don’t be,” FP smiled genuinely, happily, “Honestly, the fact that you’re still talking to me and telling me things after everything I’ve done is a miracle.” 

“Dad - .” Jughead started to say, but FP immediately shook his head, prompting him to stop. 

“No Jug, I know what you’re going to say, but we both know that I wasn’t a perfect father. Not by a long shot, but I like to think that I got a few things right and maybe even made up for some of those past mistakes somewhere along the line.” 

Jughead sighed quietly and turned to looked at his father then. At a man who had been an enigma and grey area to him for most of his life. It was no secret that their relationship had been riddled with hardships and complications. It was always the same. Promises of “changing” and “doing better” were made all the time only to be inevitably broken at some point, until one day Jughead decided that enough was enough. 

That was the day he stood up to his dad and pleaded with him to get his act together for the last time. That was also the day he took JB away and went to the only person who brought him any kind of comfort or happiness. Of course, Betty knew everything already and naturally she was sympathetic, letting them spend the night and going out of her way to distract them in whatever way she could. He welcomed the ease she always provided eagerly, wrapping himself in it until he was numb to anything else. 

He could barely remember anything that happened after that. In fact, all he could really remember was the drastic shift he saw in his dad’s eyes when he and Jellybean came home the following morning. He saw regret. Pain. Sadness. Hope. Desperation. Need. But more importantly he saw change. Real change. It felt like a promise and it was the first of many promises that FP kept. 

“You did Dad,” Jughead said then, smiling at him softly, ”You more than made up for of those mistakes.” 

“Well I appreciate that Jug,” FP said quietly, gratefully, “More than you know.” He clasped his son’s shoulder then and gave it a firm shake. His silent way of saying thanks. “Can I get you another drink?” he asked. 

“Yeah sure, thanks Dad.” FP nodded and Jughead watched as he stood and walked off into the crowd. He smiled to himself then because despite everything, both past and present, it was really good to be home and to see his father again. Even if it was only for a short while. 

“Oh my god, you really are that loner weirdo who sits alone at parties, aren’t you?” came a familiar voice, one that made Jughead chuckle and smile crookedly. 

“Well I don’t see you being all social and involved even though this is your going away party.” he threw back teasingly. Jellybean appeared then and plopped down next to him, sighing dramatically. 

“Well I suppose everyone needs their space.” 

“Precisely,” Jughead said with a smirk, “I just need more than others.” 

“A lot more apparently.” Jellybean said. She sighed again and Jughead glanced at her, noticing almost immediately that something was bothering her. 

“Hey, what’s up?” he asked, running a hand over her back gently. She didn’t say anything for a moment, but when she eventually turned to look at him, her demeanor was oddly serious. 

“Can I ask you a question, J?” 

“Uh sure.” he said cautiously, wondering why everyone felt the need to ask first if they could ask him a question, “Go for it.” 

“Okay,” Jellybean exhaled heavily, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but,” she paused briefly, “Are you happy .... I mean really happy about me moving to Seattle?” 

As soon as the words left her mouth Jughead released a sigh and ran a hand over his face, trying to hide his now clenched jaw. He should’ve known that his sister would eventually notice something or at least be a little suspicious regarding his recent behavior. Apart from Betty she knew him better than most after all. He guessed though that if there was ever a perfect moment to talk to his sister about her impending move, it was now. Still he couldn’t help but feel anxious, at a loss for words and a deep sense of self-reproach, because even though he’d spent the last two months preparing for this talk he actually had no idea where to start or what to say. 

The truth, he supposed, would be a logical place to start. 

“Well, if I’m being entirely honest with you, I’m not exactly thrilled about it,” he stopped when she frowned at him and quickly continued, “But not for the reason you’re thinking.” 

“Okay,” JB said slowly, “What is it then?” 

“So this might sound a little silly, but it has something to do with a promise that I made a long time ago.”

“A promise?” JB repeated, her brow furrowing even more. 

“Yeah,” Jughead said quietly, “When mom and dad got divorced all those years ago and our family shattered into pieces, I promised you that I’d always be there for you, that I’d always protect you no matter what, that I’d never leave you and now that you’re going to Seattle I just don’t how ....” he faltered then and dropped his head into his hands, not sure what say next. 

“.... You don’t know how you’re going to keep that promise now?” Jellybean finished for him. He lifted his head slightly and nodded, feeling vaguely shamefaced, but also relieved now that he had finally been honest with her. He waited then, prepared for her questions. For her to be confused or even a little shocked maybe. What he didn’t expect was for her to start laughing. 

“I’m sorry,” JB cackled when she saw the bewildered look on his face, “I’m just so relieved. I thought it was going to be something way worse than that.” 

Jughead frowned. 

“So I am being silly about this or ... ?” 

“Oh god no,” JB interrupted him quickly, “No, you’re not being silly, J. Not at all. It actually makes a lot of sense when I think about it now, but here’s the thing and don’t get mad when I say this, but don’t you think you’ve already kept that promise,” Jughead opened his mouth to say something then, but JB held up her hand, politely asking him not to, “You never failed to do what you said you would do, Jug. Not once. You’ve been looking out for me for years. Even when you moved to the city, you still found a way to be there for me in whatever way you could and while I do appreciate it more than words could ever describe, don’t you think it’s time for me to learn how to do that for myself, by myself?” 

The question hung over their heads for a while and every time Jughead tried to think of something to say in response, he found that his logic and reasoning was significantly flawed now. He had completely forgotten that this would happen one day. That his little sister would have to start a life of her own. That she would have learn how to fend for herself and for the family she would have one day. That she would have to learn how to do all of that on her own and now, any argument he thought he had seemed entirely inappropriate. 

She was right of course, he had protected her. He had done his job and he realised now that (despite every brotherly instinct he had screaming at him right now) she had to go. For her own survival and self worth she had to go to Seattle and she had to discover what it’s like to be dependent on nobody, but yourself through her own experiences. 

“Are you mad?” Jellybean asked then, eyeing him nervously when he didn’t say anything. Jughead shook his head and he smiled crookedly when he reached for her, pulling her into his side for a warm, one armed hug. She wrapped her arms around his middle in return, breathing out a tremendous sigh of relief. 

“I’m not,” he promised, “Not even close. I’m so unbelievably proud of you JB and you’ll be amazing out there no matter what. I know that now.”

“Okay seriously, don’t say shit like that otherwise I’ll never leave!” she pulled back to look at him and Jughead felt his chest sink and his throat tighten when he saw the fresh tears forming in her eyes. 

When she finally let out a sob a few seconds later and threw her arms around him once again in a furious hug, he finally felt it. The full strength of the truth and the sadness that he had withheld for months now. Along with the relief that came with her finally knowing how he felt and the fear of not knowing what the future may bring for her. He felt that strong urge to break down with her as well and it took everything in his power to keep himself together, because, whether he liked it or not, this was goodbye. 

The reality of it had never been more real then it was right now. 

“I’ll miss you.” she whispered softly then. 

“I know,” he said just as softly, tightening his arms around her, “I’ll miss you too.” 

 

*~*~*

 

It’s a pretty well known fact that to enjoy any kind of party you essentially have to be in the right state of mind and while Betty usually was or at least tried to be, on this particular occasion she just couldn’t bring herself to feel that way or to even pretend. 

It was an effect that her mother; Alice Cooper usually had on her and ever since Betty had found out that she was going to be at the party (Thanks to a Summer Jellybean had spent working as a photographer for The Riverdale Register), her hopes seemed to be dashed right on the spot. 

With that in mind, Betty shifted in her seat as the Fall wind blew again and quickly wrapped the thick material of Jughead’s Sherpa jacket around her even more, cursing the hair brained decision she had made earlier to wear a sundress instead of a pair jeans and a jersey. It had been a few hours since they had arrived at the party now and while things were slowly starting settle, her own anxiety only increased. Even though she had come here with every intention of enjoying the evening and celebrating with her friends and Jellybean, she had also come here to finally tell her mother about her relationship with Jughead. 

She thought it was going to be easy. That the conversation would be fast, simple and uncomplicated because she didn’t care what her mother thought about her or said anymore, right? 

It should have been easy, but every time Betty worked up the courage to actually try and speak to her mother, she would suddenly remember the unexpected kiss she had shared with Jughead earlier and then she would recall the look her mother had in eyes when she saw them together. It was the same stern and disapproving look that Betty was used to and she knew, based off past experiences, exactly what to expect when they inevitably spoke. Which is precisely why she had spent every second she could enjoying herself with Jughead and his little sister or Archie and Veronica, actively avoiding that confrontation and making sure she wasn’t alone long enough to be approached. 

It wasn’t enough though and the very thing Betty had been dreading all evening finally came true when her mother suddenly appeared and asked in that same sickly-sweet tone she always used, if she would help pick up the abandoned paper plates and cups on the picnic tables around the park. Archie and Veronica (both noticeably cautious now) immediately offered to help as well, but before Veronica could pull Betty away, Alice suggested that she pair off with her boyfriend instead, forcing the two friends to reluctantly leave Betty with the last person she wanted to be alone with. 

This wasn’t going to end well and with every silent minute that passed between her and her mother, Betty couldn’t convince herself otherwise. 

“So.” Alice said smoothly. Casually. Her seemingly innocent and calm tone not having the desired affect on Betty at all. Her mother was up to something and she knew it. 

“So?” Betty repeated, eyeing her out suspiciously. 

“I couldn’t help but notice you and Jughead earlier.” Betty froze for a second, but quickly composed herself and went back to clearing the table in front of her, ignoring the crudeness of the comment as best she could. Alice regarded her daughter silently for a moment, her mouth curling into a slight grimace. “Is it serious?” she asked. 

“It is actually.” Betty said immediately and with as much confidence as she could muster. She straightened up to face her mother then and frowned slightly when she saw the thrilled look on her face. Betty didn’t buy it though. Not one bit. 

“Well, honestly, I think that’s great.” Alice said, smiling broadly as she continued to gather up the empty plates and cups. 

“Really?” Betty raised her eyebrows, clearly surprised. She hadn’t expected that.

“Well of course,” Alice said nonchalantly, “You know me dear. I’m a firm believer in personal growth and life lessons and I’m sure that this wayward relationship with Jughead will be a very educational phase for you.” 

“Wayward? Phase?” Betty repeated the words incredulously, feeling tears prick her eyes and her heart twist painfully in her chest. She knew that this was to good too be true. “Didn’t you hear anything I just said mom?” Betty questioned, trying to quell the rage building inside her, “My relationship with Jughead isn’t a phase. I love him!” 

“I’m sure you do sweetheart,” Alice said in a way that made it sound like what her daughter had just said was impossible, “Everyone says that, but they never really mean it, do they?” 

Betty’s gaped at her mother with pure disbelief and found herself rooted to spot, completely dumbfounded by what she had just heard. She had been excepting this kind of reaction. She was prepared for it. Prepared for it to hurt, but that didn’t make it sting any less. In fact, it sliced right through her, cutting her right down to the bone and she found herself clenching her fists in anger, not even wincing when her nails pierced the skin. 

Betty wanted to say something. She wanted to yell and make a scene. She wanted to unleash the years of built up frustration, but when she opened her mouth nothing came out. With fresh tears streaming down her face and her throat closing in on her, Betty turned away instead, wanting nothing more than to be as far away as possible from her mother, however, she barely managed to take two steps before she collided with something hard. 

Confused and blinking the tears from her somber eyes, Betty looked up and a wave of relief washed over her when she saw Jughead standing in front of her. He looked really mad. Scratch that, he was furious, his blue eyes spitting daggers at her mother, and when he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her close, Betty melted into his warmth, blurring everything out except him and the immediate comfort he brought. 

Everything was a haze of bright lights and indistinguishable voices after that and then suddenly Betty was moving, heading towards the parking lot and the only thing she could really remember hearing was the sound of Jughead shouting that he needed keys. She stayed close to him, letting him guide her until they reached Archie’s truck. She wasn’t exactly sure what happened next, but she soon found herself sitting beside Jughead in the trucks cab, watching the town speed by as they drove towards an unknown destination. 

She hoped, rather foolishly perhaps, that he was taking her home. Back to her apartment in New York City, but of course, she knew the possibility of that scenario happening was highly unlikely. Truthfully she didn’t really care where they were going, as long as she was far away from her mother. 

When the car finally came to a stop sometime later, Betty sniffed and wiped her eyes, feeling completely and utterly devastated. What an absolute fucking mess, she thought miserably. She sighed quietly and glanced out the window then and quickly realised that they were on the very edge of town, parked on the side of the main road near the infamous “Welcome To Riverdale, The Town with Pep” sign. 

It wasn’t home, but it was far enough. 

“Betts.” she heard Jughead say, his voice soft and cautious. She felt his thumb graze her cheek then and turned to look at him, seeing the clear distress and regret in his eyes. He looked just as miserable as she felt and even in the poor light she could tell that he had been crying as well and, if it was even possible, the sight broke her already crumpled heart even more. 

She hated her mother. She hated her mother more than anything else in this world right now. 

Seeking some kind of shield and mostly solace, Betty moved closer and Jughead reached for her at once, pulling her into his lap where she settled and snuggled into him, tears filling her eyes once again as she buried her face into his neck. 

“I’m so sorry Betts,” he whispered so softly that Betty wasn’t sure it she had even heard him. She shook her head a little and was about to ask him why he was even apologizing (when the only person who should be is her poor excuse of a mother) until she felt him take her hand in his, uncurling her fingers to see the extent of the damage Alice Cooper had caused this time. Betty released a shaky breath and closed her eyes when she saw the dry blood and new cuts as well. Right. She had almost forgotten. She sighed and gently kissed his neck, trying to ease the tension and anguish he clearly felt now. 

“It’s not your fault Juggie,” she said quietly, interlocking their hands, “We both knew that this was probably going to happen. That she would react this way.” 

“Still,“ he murmured against the side of her head, wrapping his arm around her more securely, “I should’ve been there.” 

Betty pulled back a little to look at him then and noticed for the first time since they had gotten into the truck that he wasn’t wearing his trusty beanie anymore. She reached up and brushed the haphazard strands of black hair off his forehead before she moved her hand down and gently caressed his cheek, searching his angry and remorseful eyes intently. 

“But you were.” she breathed, right before she leaned in slowly and kissed him. 

It was supposed to be a simple kiss. Soft and reassuring, with no other intention than to chase away their combined anxiety and to help them both forget even if only for moment, but as soon as their lips met and Betty felt the eager pressure of his kiss, she craved more. She wanted more and when he brought his hand up to her neck and held her there, she knew that he did as well. The kiss was thorough and intoxicating and felt as though it went on for hours, every second deliciously slow until their resistance to give in, gave out and their actions turned hungry, both of them yearning with need now. 

It was at that point when Betty released his hand and shifted her position, moving within the confines of the old trucks spacious cab until she was straddling Jughead lap and was firmly pressed against him, gasping slightly when she felt his growing arousal press against her core through the rough material of his jeans. Breathing heavily, Jughead gripped her hips and groaned headily into her mouth when she kissed him again and gently rocked her hips against his, her hands sliding down the length of his hard torso until she found his belt. 

“Betts .... wait ...” he managed to breathe when her mouth suddenly left his to trail a path of featherlight kisses along the line of his jaw and neck. Betty paused and hid her face in the crook of his neck, stilling her slim fingers on the buckle of his belt when she heard the hesitation in his voice. 

She knew where this uncertainty had come from. She knew that he wanted to talk. That he probably felt like it was important not to get sidetracked, but right now, that was exactly what she wanted. She wanted to be distracted. To feel him. To feel his touch. To wrap herself all around him. To forget. She needed him now more. They could talk later. 

“Juggie,” she sobbed quietly, lifting her head and whimpering softly against his ear when Jughead gave her hips a squeeze, moving against her ever so slightly, “Please ... please.” she begged. 

Betty held her breath then and she didn’t move until he did, internally sighing with relief when he kissed her neck seconds later and skimmed his now shaky hands up and along the sides of her body until he reached the buttons of her dress, undoing them one by one. It was fast. Impatient. Passionate. Their mouths meeting in a series of heavy, drugging kisses and Betty moaned softly when Jughead deepened the already heady kiss, sinking his tongue into her mouth and curling it with hers. Tasting as they drank each other in. 

Without breaking the kiss, Jughead pulled the material of her dress aside and yanked on her bra until he freed one of her breasts. He cupped her and she arched into him at once, straining against him and gasping with pleasure against his lips when he squeezed gently, rolling her already taut nipple between his thumb and forefinger. 

Jughead moved his mouth down to her neck then, licking and sucking at the pulse point beneath her skin until a faint bruise appeared and Betty’s stomach fluttered uncontrollably, her body humming with raw anticipation as she reached down between them and hastily undid his belt, helping him push his pants down when he raised his hips. Betty wrapped her hand around his hard length then and stroked him a few times. He was hot and heavy in her hand and she smiled when he hissed and shivered at her touch. 

“Holy fuck.” he groaned against her swollen mouth, immediately lifting the skirt of her dress to push her panties aside. He was just as eager as her and Betty wanted nothing more than for him to be buried deep inside her now. She wasted no time after that as she guided him towards her entrance and seconds later she sank down onto him, filling herself up in the best way possible. They were still for a moment and both of them trembled slightly when they pressed their foreheads together, trying to keep themselves steady. 

“I love you so much.” Betty whispered then. She opened her eyes and the intense heat she already had building in her lower abdomen suddenly increased tenfold when she saw the way he was looking at her now. Like she was the only thing that existed to him. 

He surged forward then, settling his mouth over hers ravenously a few seconds later and Betty kissed him back just as eagerly before she started to move, rising and falling above him slowly at first until he gripped her hips and helped her, dragging her over him in a way that made her moan breathlessly and see endless stars. She steadied herself as best she could, keeping one hand on his shoulder and the other braced on the roof of the truck. There was very little thinking or even talking in that moment, only an unquenchable desire to lose themselves in each other. 

Minutes passed and Betty could feel that she was very close, the heat slowly uncoiling inside her, and she knew that Jughead was as well. She begged him to not to stop and it was only when he leaned forward and covered her breast with his hot, wanton mouth that Betty cried out and finally splintered apart, mere seconds before he did. 

She came down slowly, still shaking when she collapsed on top of him and he held her close, their harsh panting the only sound that broke up the silence around them. They stayed still for a long moment after that, wrapped safely in each other’s arms until Jughead whispered in Betty’s ear that he loved her. That he would always love her and that nothing would ever change that. 

Not even Alice Cooper. 

 

*

 

“Are you going to tell me what she said that upset you so much?” 

Betty sighed quietly and snuggled into Jughead’s shoulder, wondering how she should word her next sentence to him. 

They were lying down on trucks bench seat now, warm, semi-clothed and completely sated. It had been an hour since they had left the party and they hadn’t said a single word about what had happened earlier. The memory still fresh in their minds. To be honest, Betty still didn’t want to talk about it, but she owed Jughead this conversation. Especially after what he had done for her earlier. 

“It’s not really about what she said. We expected her to not approve, remember?” 

Jughead nodded slightly and turned a little more to look at her curiously. He traced the line of her cheek gently with his finger and she smiled, leaning into his touch. 

“So what was it then?” 

“I guess I’m just disappointed,” Betty admitted softly, “I really thought that if she saw how happy I was then maybe she would be more accepting and while she didn’t exactly say that she disapproves of us being together, she thinks it’s just some wayward phase that I’m going through and I know that I’m an adult and that I can make my own decisions and that I shouldn’t care what she thinks but -“ 

“Hey, hey - it’s okay,” Jughead said quickly, stopping her from rambling on when he noticed that she was close to crying again. He wiped away the tears and kissed her forehead, trying to calm her down. 

“Of course you’re going to care about what she says Betts. She’s your mother.” Jughead reasoned, “I’m not on great terms with my mother either, but I’d be hurt too if she treated me like that as well.” 

“Yeah well, I wish she wasn’t my mother and at least yours leaves you alone most of the time. Mine just won’t take the hint.” Betty muttered and Jughead chuckled lightly, tightening his arms around her. “I just don’t get why she is the way she is. Not only did she ruin my evening, but she probably ruined JB’s party as well.” 

“I wouldn’t worry about that too much actually,” Jughead said with a smile, “The Jones family isn’t exactly known for being sociable and I’m pretty sure JB looked like she was about to tell everyone to go home.” 

Betty giggled at that, mostly because it was true. Jughead, Jellybean and FP weren’t exactly known to be the life and soul of any party. She kissed the underside of his jaw then, loving how he always tried to find a way to make a situation better. 

“Thank you.” she said, smiling against his neck. 

“For what?” Jughead asked. 

“For getting me out of there and for being there for me when I needed you to be.” she leaned up and kissed him softly and he grinned, capturing her smiling mouth with his again when she tried to pull away. She lost herself in him all over again, feeling so warm and so peaceful now that her anxiety was a long forgotten memory. One she would never recall again. 

After years of childhood torture, this evening was the straw that broke the camels back. This was it for her relationship with her mother. This was goodbye and it was a goodbye she didn’t even need to say. Truthfully, she had said it along time ago. 

“Well I did promise you that I always would be, didn’t I?” Jughead said, snapping her back to reality. 

“Yeah,” Betty said, smiling down at him softly, “You did.” 

He did and it was a promise he never, ever broke. It just wasn’t in his nature and it was just one of the many things she loved about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are always appreciated!!! Xx


	13. Steps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got this chapter out!! Thank you so much for your support and patience, I appreciate it more than you know!!!  
> Enjoy!! Xx 
> 
> PS, please forgive me for any mistakes!!

The sun had already risen by the time Jughead woke up again. He let out a long yawn and rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes, taking a moment to let them adjust to the bright light and to recall where he was. He felt something vibrating in his pocket then and quickly reached for for his phone, being especially careful not to wake Betty, who was still fast asleep beside him on the bench seat of Archie's truck. 

"Hello?" 

"Jug?" he heard Archie say, the relief clear in his familiar voice, "Hey, you guys alright?" 

"Yeah we're uh ... we're both fine," Jughead mumbled, feeling slightly guilty that he hadn't thought of telling his friends where they were, but then again, he had been preoccupied with something far more concerning at the time, "Sorry, we fell asleep in the truck." 

Prompted by the thought, memories from last night trickled into his mind then, reminding him of how quickly he had moved when he saw Betty and Alice alone and talking. Reminding himself that he wasn't fast enough and that by the time he reached his girlfriend the damage had already been done. All he needed to see was her crying. To see the defeated look in her green eyes for him to snap.   

He remembered wrapping an arm around Betty's waist as he pulled her close, letting her use him as a much needed shield from her mother. He remembered asking her if she was alright and when she nodded, he spoke directly to Alice next, telling her in a deadly, but still level headed tone, that even if she read every parenting book in the world, she would still be the worst mother he had ever met, going as far as to say that his own father, a recovering alcoholic, was a better parent than her simply because he cared enough to want his children to be happy. That he didn't look for an opportunity to break them down at every turn. 

Naturally, Alice tried to argue like she always did, but her words fell on deaf ears when Jughead simply ignored her and pulled Betty away from the scene, whispering that it was over. That he was so sorry. That he would get her out of there. That this will never happen again. That she was safe now. They moved towards the parking lot with purpose and he remembered Jellybean, Archie and Veronica rushing over to them at some point, all of them concerned and demanding to know what had happened. He remembered promising to tell them everything at a later stage. 

With Betty traumatized beside him, Jughead had driven Archie's old truck faster than it had ever been driven before and only slowed down again when he reached the very edge of their hometown, coming to a stop near its infamous "welcome" sign. Silence filled the darkened cab and he remembered pulling his beanie off and wiping at the tears he had shed furiously. He was spinning with anger and it took everything inside him to push his feelings aside in favor of trying to help her. To talk to her. To comfort her in any way he possibly could and when he pulled her into his lap and she kissed him minutes later, he was tempted to stop her. But his love for her, his overwhelming need to be there for her. To make her forget won out in the end. 

Besides, he knew that they could always talk later and thankfully, for her sake, they did. 

He glanced at her and then at her hand resting on his chest, clutching a fistful of his shirt tightly and he wondered if she really was okay or if the after effects still had to come. 

"Jug?" Archie said, the previous concern in his voice reappearing. 

"Yeah, I'm here," Jughead said quickly. Apologetically, "Sorry man, I'm still half asleep." he added with a chuckle. 

"Okay," Archie said in a way that made Jughead think he didn't exactly believe him, "So we'll meet you both at Pops. Ronnie figured we should eat something before heading off." 

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Jughead said, gently stroking his hand over Betty's arm when he saw her stir awake. Breakfast at Pops sounded like a really good idea right now. 

He said goodbye to Archie then and sighed despondently when the line went dead. His uneasiness was short lived though and he literally couldn't stop his lips from pulling into lazy smile when Betty sat up slowly and yawned, clearly and adorably still half asleep as well. 

"What time is it?" she asked, gently smoothing a hand over her eyes in an effort to wake up properly. 

"Almost nine I think," Jughead said. He brushed a few strands of tousled hair behind her ear and his heart filled with pure warmth when Betty looked at him and smiled, leaning into his touch slightly. "How are you feeling?" he asked softly. 

"I'm okay, just a little tired I guess." Betty said with a shrug. Jughead sighed then and sat up as well, wordlessly taking her hand in his and turning it palm side up so that he could survey the new blemishes in the early morning light.

"You know what I mean Betts." he said quietly, gently running his thumb over the marred skin. Thankfully, none of them were terribly deep and most of them had already started to scab and heal overnight. Still, he couldn't stop himself from seething with anger at the sight and, for whatever it was worth, he was glad that he finally stood up to Alice Cooper. That he finally had the chance to say what had been on his mind for years. 

"I'm okay," he heard Betty say. He was still focused on her palm when he felt her fingers delicately trace the line of his jaw, the simple action prompting him to look at her. "I'm okay Juggie." she repeated when he did, offering him a soft, but reassuring smile. 

Jughead searched her eyes carefully then, making sure that there was no hint of uncertainty lurking behind her green irises. He could always tell when there was, remembering how he  noticed the doubt shadowing them the night she had her nightmare. He hadn't said anything back then, but he certainly would now, especially after everything that had happened. 

"Promise?" he asked, needing to hear her say it.  

"I promise." Betty said, shifting closer to him and giving his hand a gentle squeeze when she linked their fingers together seconds later. He brought his other hand up to theirs and returned the pressure at once - almost eagerly, finding a tremendous amount of relief in it. 

He believed her. 

He always would. 

*

After waking up and straightening themselves out, they filled the truck up at Riverdale's one and only gas station and bought some provisions for the long trip home, something Jughead adamantly insisted on much to Betty's amusement. 

The drive to Pops thereafter was short and mostly quiet with Betty tucked into Jughead's side and music playing softly in the background over the radio. He kept his arm draped over her shoulders for the length of it. Keeping her close. Keeping her safe. A crooked smile tugging on his lips when she snuggled into him even more and randomly kissed his chest through the thin material of his shirt. 

He was certain now that she was okay, but as confident as he was, he guessed that she was probably still a little fragile and possibly hurt and, whether she knew it or not, she needed comfort. So he gave it to her. Without being asked to. Without question. 

When they walked into Pops a short while later, Jughead immediately felt right at home. The familiar scent of fresh prepared food and strong, slow brewed coffee welcoming him back with ease. Betty spotted their friends before he did and as they made their way towards the booth that was unofficially 'theirs', hand in hand, Jughead couldn't help but notice Veronica taking in their disheveled appearances before she smirked and leaned in closer to Archie, whispering something in the red heads ear that made him grimace and her laugh. 

Jughead rolled his eyes, certain that he knew what she had just said especially when he remembered what he and Betty had done twice in Archie's truck last night, once after he drove them away from the park and a second time after they spoke. But he kept his thoughts to himself and watched with relief and happiness as Betty reunited with their friends. Thinking instead that it was good to see her smile and to hear her laugh again. 

In all the years that Jughead had known Veronica, he knew that subtly had never been one of her strong suits, but even he expected her to be a little more discreet regarding recent events. Naturally, he was completely wrong and his eyes narrowed with obvious disapproval when she casually, but not so casually brought up last night and asked how Betty was feeling halfway through their breakfast. 

"What?" Veronica asked innocently when she noticed the mild aversion in his eyes, "I'm just asking if she's alright." 

Jughead opened his mouth to reply, ready to criticize the tactless nature of her approach, but Betty placed her hand over his and squeezed it gently, telling him that it was alright and effectively silencing him. 

Like Archie and Veronica, he listened then as Betty divulged all the details from last night to them. Hearing her say the words. Actually hearing her say that Alice Cooper viewed his relationship with Betty as some kind of stepping stone and learning curve hurt more than he thought it would, especially when a sad smile formed on her lips and fresh tears appeared in the ducts of her eyes as a result. He immediately put his arm around her again and pulled her into him, kissing the side of her head and making a silent promise, right then and there, to never let her go through something like this ever again if he could help it. 

"We've should've stopped her." Archie murmured once Betty had finished, the regret evident in his voice. 

"Yeah, we should of," Veronica sighed dejectedly, "We're so sorry that we didn't, B." 

"Seriously you guys, you don't have to apologise for anything," Betty said softly, sincerely, "I know you tried to help me and besides, I needed to have that conversation with my mother. It was inevitable." 

"I guess," Veronica conceded, although she still looked remorseful and mildly enraged, "I just don't understand why she said that. Why can't she just be happy for you for once?" 

"In a perfect world she probably would be, but unfortunately ...." Jughead trailed off bitterly, his tone thick with sarcasm. He felt Betty squeeze his hand again and sighed quietly as he leaned into her a little more. 

"Yeah, but you know Mrs Cooper's always been like that, Ronnie." Archie added, trying to calm his girlfriend down. 

"Well if FP hadn't chewed her out already, I would've given her a piece of my mind."  Veronica grumbled as she settled into Archie's side with a huff. 

Jughead grinned at the thought, picturing his father giving Alice Cooper hell in a matter of seconds and he was happy when he saw Betty smile as well. There was a time when he felt like he couldn't count on FP for anything and it comforted him now that whenever something like this did happen he knew that he could. 

"Yeah and if we hadn't stopped her, JB would've as well." Archie smirked, "I swear Jug, I've never seen her so pissed. We actually had to hold her back!" he added with a chuckle. 

"Her evening wasn't ruined though?" Betty asked quickly. 

"Of course not!" Jughead insisted gently, remembering the conversation they had last night and how she was worried that the altercation with her mother might've ruined the evening. 

"He's right, B" Veronica said, smiling at her friend softly, "And even if it was ruined it wouldn't be your fault." 

It took a moment, but Betty eventually nodded and smiled at all of them gratefully and with ease, her demeanor noticeably less anxious than before, much to Jughead's relief. He gave her hip a squeeze and smiled crookedly when she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck and pressed a soft kiss to his skin. He allowed himself to forget that they weren't alone in that moment or, at least he almost did. Luckily though, Veronica could always be counted upon to bring him back to reality before he completely lost himself in his girlfriend entirely. 

"What I would like to know though is what happened after you two left last night." she said, smirking at Betty and Jughead a little too suggestively. 

"Well I don't!" Archie grimaced with disgust, "All I need to know is whether the truck needs to be washed or not." 

Veronica burst out laughing beside him then and Jughead felt the heat of his involuntary blush creep up the back of his neck and warm his ears as he chuckled and pulled Betty into his side, listening to her giggle while she tried to hide her own embarrassment.

"I hate all of you." Archie grumbled a moment later even as his own lips pulled into a wide smile and suddenly the only thing Jughead could hear was the intoxicating sound of his best friends laughing and the last thought that crossed his mind was that they were safe. 

That they would all be okay. 

*

The drive back to the city was slow, but Jughead didn't mind in slightest. 

He didn't mind, because halfway through the trip Betty promptly fell asleep again and nestled her head on his shoulder, her favourite position apparently. They were sitting on the backseat and all Jughead could think about as he watched the world speed by in a haze was how much everything in their lives had changed since the last time they were sitting like this. 

He marveled at the thought, realising that three months ago he was just a writer from a small town in Upstate New York who watched movies and played board games with his best friends every single week. That three months ago he hadn't worked up the courage to finally tell the girl sitting beside him how he truly felt about her yet. That his little sister hadn't been accepted into college or that his two best friends hadn't told him that they were planning to move to another country. 

He marveled at how it all came so suddenly and literally in the blink of an eye and he realised then that he wouldn't have it any other way. That if this - if having her was the mythical silver lining he'd been searching for his entire life then he would take it without question. Without hesitation, because he loved her and she, by some miracle, loved him. 

Jughead kissed Betty's forehead and smiled against her warm and impossibly smooth skin when a soft, but still content sigh fell from her lips. God, she was so incredibly easy to love, so much so, that it actually scared him sometimes, but in that very moment he finally started to understand that just because life isn't fair. Just because it doesn't always give you what you want, it doesn't mean that you should give up. It just means you have to use what you have left to it's maximum potential.  

If he hadn't he wouldn't be here in Archie truck, happier than he had ever been before. 

But more importantly, he wouldn't have her. 

 

*~*~* 

 

Moving is messy and stressful or, at least, Betty started to believe it was after the week she had just had. 

True to her determined and persistent nature, there was very little that she couldn't do or couldn't achieve. She rarely gave up on anything, if ever. So surely helping her friends pack a few boxes during the final push of their move to Paris would be nothing more than a simple walk in the park. 

She'd never been more wrong in her entire life. 

It was a lot. 

Not only did they have to pack box after box of clothes and possessions and deal with furniture they didn't need anymore, but Betty also had to work and she still had to decide whether she should live with another roommate or just move into a smaller apartment. Of course whenever this particular topic came up during the week (and thankfully it didn't come up a lot), Veronica would stop working, sometimes burst into tears and try to find an excuse to delay or not to go anymore, leaving Archie, Betty and Jughead to gently calm her down and convince her otherwise. 

It was both mentally and physically exhausting and while Betty was undeniably sad about the whole situation and sometimes found herself crying about it as well, she also longed for the moment when the day would finally end and she could fall into a bed and sleep. Of course, knowing that Jughead would be there with his warm body pressed against hers, holding her close, his lips dusting featherlight kisses behind her ear, always made her crave that moment even more. 

If there was one positive thing she could pull from Archie and Veronica's move to Paris it was that she got to spend a lot extra time with her boyfriend while they helped them carry it out. Betty was extremely grateful to have him near, especially after the whole fiasco at Jellybean's going away party with her mother. 

Sleep was hard to come by as a result and her anxiety had a horrible tendency to rear its ugly head without much warning these days. So aside from the fact that she wanted him around all the time, his presence also worked as an almost perfect buffer from all the issues in her life. Naturally though, there were days when this wasn't enough and on those days he was there without fail, staying awake with her well into the early hours of the morning when she couldn't sleep or distracting her in anyway he could when her mind just wouldn't shut off. She always felt so unbelievably safe with him around and her palms were free from injury as a result. 

When it came to Jughead, Betty was certain that she had never loved and appreciated someone as much as she  him and she often wondered how she ever managed to get through periods like this in her life before they started dating. When she mentioned that to him late one evening, he had simply chuckled against her ear and told her that she managed because she was strong, with or without him. 

It was early in the morning when that specific memory invaded Betty's mind again, filling her whole body with an obvious kind of warmth. She sighed into her pillow and stretched out her stiff limbs, a happy smile forming on her lips when she remembered that today was a Sunday and that they had the day off from operation: Move To Paris. 

She rolled over then, expecting to see Jughead lying next to her only to be left mildly disappointed when she found his side of the bed empty. Betty frowned and sat up slowly, scanning around her boyfriend's room for any obvious sign of him. When she didn't find anything, she slid out of bed and grabbed one of his flannels, slipping it on before heading off to find him. 

She found him in the kitchen seconds later, messy haired, shirtless and still wearing his pajamas as he put the finishing touches on the breakfast he'd clearly made for them. She paused and took in the sight, certain that she would never get over how unbelievably attractive he could be without even trying. 

"You're supposed to be in bed." Jughead murmured when Betty snuck up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. 

"I could say the same for you," she countered playfully, kissing his back and snuggling into him, "We have the day off, remember?" 

"I remember, how could I forget?" Jughead said with a light chuckle. He turned around to face her then and Betty smiled when he cupped her face with his hands and leaned to down to kiss her, his lips gentle and budding against hers, "That being said, you have in fact ruined my surprise, Betts." he added when the kiss broke, his exaggerated pout making her giggle. 

"I did?" Betty looked at him guiltily, the corners of her lips pulling into a small smile when she brushed the strands of unruly hair off his forehead and he slipped his arms around her waist out of habit. Holding her close. 

"Yeah," Jughead sighed and smiled at her crookedly, "I was planning on bringing this." he gestured to the food behind him, "To you while you were still in bed, but -"  

"- I ruined it." she finished for him, her tone half serious, half teasing. Heartbroken by the fact that she actually had. 

"Okay, 'ruined' might be too strong a word," Jughead said, letting out a laugh, "To be honest, I don't really care where I eat breakfast as long as you're there with me." 

Betty laughed as well and leaned up to kiss him, her body sagging against his when he deepened action and smoothed his hands over her skin and under the flannel she wore, giving her an endless amount of goosebumps. 

"You're such a cheeseball!" Betty teased playfully, kissing him once more before she broke away from him, not wanting things to get to heated or carried away too quickly. They would have plenty of time for that later. They always did on a Sunday. She hopped up onto the counter then and started picking at the granola filled pancakes he'd made for them. 

"So what are we doing today?" Betty asked in-between bites. 

"Well," Jughead said, slowly drawing out the word as he leaned against the counter, "As much as I'd love to vegetate on the couch and watch movies with you all day I was actually thinking about doing some apartment hunting today." 

Betty smiled and watched happily as he picked up one of the pancakes and practically devoured it in two bites. With everything that had happened recently she'd almost forgotten that with Archie moving to Paris as well Jughead was essentially in the same position as her. Only, unlike her, he'd already decided to get his own place instead of living with someone else. She envied him and how quickly he'd made up his mind. 

"I guess that's not a bad idea. I should probably think about doing that as well just in case I only get a horde of psychopaths who want to live with me." 

It was meant to come off as a joke, but when Jughead merely smiled at her in response, Betty couldn't help but wonder if that thought actually did bother him. She watched him for a moment and frowned when she noticed the uncertainty that suddenly clouded his features. 

"I was kidding, Juggie." she said, gently running her hand along his shoulder in an effort to reassure and comfort him. 

"Yeah I know, it's just ... well," he paused, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously, "I was kind of hoping that we could do it together actually. Like, look for an apartment together." 

It took a single second for his words to sink in and when they did, Betty froze and still couldn't believe that they were real. Over the last couple of weeks she had toyed with the idea of them living together, but every time she did she would quickly backtrack and remind herself that they had only been together for three months. That it would be way too soon to even think about moving in together. 

Everything he had just said had shot that all to hell though. 

"Jug, are you -" 

"- It's just a thought," he said giving her a soft, but still nervous smile, "I know it might be too soon and we really don't have to decide anything right now, I just .... I want to do this, all of this with you everyday, not just every other day and -" 

But Betty didn't give him the chance to finish, throwing her arms around his neck and settling her mouth over his in a deep and ecstatic kiss before he could, expressing everything she suddenly felt in that moment. She didn't need time to think about it. She didn't need to decide anything. She already knew what her answer would be. 

"I love you so much." she whispered against Jughead's lips, smiling brightly and kissing him again when he picked her and carried her back to the room. 

When they fell onto the bed a few seconds later, her heart practically exploded in her chest when he told her that he loved her as well and then proceeded to show her just how much he did. 

*

Another week later, all the packing and hard work finally came to an end and Betty found herself in bed after finishing the last movie night she would have with all of her friends present for a while. 

Ever since Veronica and Archie had revealed their plans to move to Paris, she hadn't really thought about the day when it would actually happen. Even when Jughead voiced his own insecurities about it to her, she didn't consider it. Maybe it was done as an act of self preservation or maybe it was done because she was thinking of the greater good. Either way, she couldn't stop thinking about it now even if she wanted to. 

She snuggled into Jughead's chest and listened to his steady heart beat for a while, trying to suppress the tears that were starting to fall now. She'd had Archie and Veronica in her life for so long. Always there. Always available whenever she needed them. Even with all the promises of staying in touch, she knew it was going to be hard not to have that luxury anymore. She sighed when Jughead tightened his arms around her, certain that she knew what was coming next. 

"You okay, Betts?" he asked, slowly stroking his hand over her back. 

"Yeah, I'm just going to miss them." she mumbled, feeling undeniably better when she felt him caress her cheek and kiss her forehead. 

"I know," he mumbled against her skin, "I'm going to miss them as well." 

"Are you going to say anything to them?" Betty asked quietly, remembering their conversation from their week at the cabin. 

"I'm not sure, Archie's been so happy lately. He wasn't even mad when I spoke to him about why we kept our relationship a secret. I'm not sure if I can ruin that, you know?" 

"Yeah," Betty sighed with defeat as she propped herself up on one arm to look at him, "By the way, you never told me what you and Archie talked about that day." she added. 

"Probably because we didn't really talk about much." Jughead said with a shrug. Betty frowned. 

"Really? What did he say?" 

"I don't know, he asked if we were really together, I said yes and then he gave me a high five." 

"Wait, that's it?" Betty laughed. 

"Pretty much," Jughead chuckled, "Men are simple Betts. We spoke about video games until you guys came out again." 

"Well that's just ridiculous." Betty said, giggling as she kissed him softly and settled back down beside him again, somehow feeling lighter than she had felt only minutes ago. 

She didn't need to wonder why. She already knew that it was all because of him. 

*

Hours later when the goodbye they had both been dreading for months finally came, neither of them could bring themselves to say anything, to taken with the sight of their friends happiness and excitement to even think about popping their bubble. It went by faster than Betty expected, but she was glad for that. 

"We'll talk every week and Archie and I will visit as much as we possibly can!" Veronica promised as she pulled Betty in for one more big, long hug. 

"I know we will and I know you guys will, just be careful and keep Archie out of trouble." Betty said, smiling at her other friend teasingly when she pulled back from the hug. 

"Very funny Betty." Archie said, rolling his eyes as he pulled her in for a long hug as well. 

She watched with a huge smile on her face as Jughead give both Archie and Veronica a massive bear hug and all she could think about in that moment was very single moment she'd spent with all of them. At school. At Pops. In college and every other moment in between. It made her smile rather than cry and she was grateful for it. 

She remembered Jughead telling her after the incident with her mother, that "Goodbye" is the hardest thing to say to someone who means the world to you, especially when "goodbye" isn't what you want. Except saying goodbye to Alice Cooper wasn’t hard. This was though. Every second was painful in its own way, but it wasn’t enough to make her question her friends. It wasn’t enough because she knew that those memories were only the beginning. That there would be many more in the future. 

Because she’d read somewhere that no distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other’s worth.

"I think they'll be alright." Jughead said then, hugging Betty from behind as they watched their two friends go off together. Betty placed her arms over his and smiled as she leaned back against him, sad, but somehow also happy. She couldn't help but feel the same way. 

"I know," she said with a smile, "I know they will be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter left after this!!! 
> 
> As always, thoughts and comments are always appreciated!!!


	14. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are once again at the end of another story!! Thank you so much for all the love and support you’ve given this little fic of mine!!! It really made my heart soar and I hope you enjoy this final chapter. Xx
> 
> Ps - please forgive me for any mistakes!!

“Home” can be defined as many things. 

Most commonly it’s known as a place of residence. A domicile. Somewhere a person can call their own. It can also be a social unit, formed by a family living together in a functional environment or sometimes it’s just a familiar place. A congenial setting that focuses on one’s domestic attention. 

All Jughead knew was that he had never really experienced any of those definitions in real life. For the most part, his childhood was dysfunctional and his family resembled anything but a happy social unit. He’d never lived a place that he could truly call his own either. Even the apartment he had been renting with Archie (which would be considered a home by any means) still didn’t feel like one to him, mostly because he didn’t have a say in anything relating to it. There was no personal connection given that Archie and his dad had already chosen the apartment and furnished it before he was even asked to be a roommate. 

“Home” was just a word to him. One that had no particular definition or meaning. 

Until now. 

He could remember the exact moment when it all changed for him and, for obvious reasons, he thought about it more and more everyday, reminding himself that it was all very real. 

Within a few weeks of Archie and Veronica moving to Paris, Jughead was amazed, but not really surprised when he and Betty managed to find a new apartment so quickly and just a few blocks away from their old ones. It didn’t really surprise him because he knew that Betty was exceptionally diligent and as soon as they decided to move in together, finding their apartment became her number priority. What made the whole experience special for him though was that she included him in every way she possibly could. She asked for his opinion all the time and dragged him along to every viewing, silently re-enforcing the notion that he was a part of this as much as she was. 

Two bedrooms, one bathroom, a small living room and a kitchen. It was simple and uncomplicated. Sure it wasn’t as spacious as the previous apartments they’d shared with Archie and Veronica, but every single inch of it, no matter how insignificant or small, was completely theirs this time. Of course, Jughead only realised this very actuality on the day they moved in when he carried the last box into the apartment that was now officially theirs and found Betty in what was now officially their room. 

Naturally, the room itself was bare, filled with boxes of their possessions, his queen sized mattress which was on the floor (because she preferred his bed over her own one apparently) and finally her. The bed frame and the rest of their furniture would be delivered some time tomorrow. Betty had just finished putting a fresh set of linen on their bed when she collapsed onto it with a heavy, but content sigh, a sight that made him smile wide enough to make his cheeks hurt. He placed the box on the floor with the others and sauntered over to join her. 

“Tired already?” Jughead joked, smiling at her playfully as dropped down onto the mattress as well. Betty simply giggled in response and shifted closer to him and when he reached for her, tucking herself into his side and resting her head on his arm at once. 

“Just taking a moment to breathe.” she explained, closing her eyes while she ran her hand lightly over his chest. 

Admittedly, Jughead was exhausted. 

After dealing with Archie and Veronica’s move first and then their own over the last month and a half, it was amazing that they were even alive right now (although, truthfully, their own move had been vastly less stressful then their friends one had been). He already knew that they wouldn’t get any serious unpacking done tonight and he was more than happy to just eat pizza and lie here with her all evening. 

They stewed in the silence for a while. Eyes shut. Legs tangled with their hands softly drawing aimless patterns on each other. Both of them taking a much needed moment to breathe. There was no rush after all. 

“I can’t believe we’re actually here.” Betty said after a while, grinning happily when Jughead leaned over a little and kissed her forehead. 

“I can’t either.” he agreed and he really couldn’t. Even though it had been months since he and Betty had started dating, Jughead still found himself marveling over the smallest details when it came to them, like the fact that they were currently lying on a bed in their very own apartment, alone and insanely happy. In fact, he couldn’t recall a time when he was happier than he was right now. Nothing else compared to these moments he shared with her and only her. 

He was still lost in his own thoughts when Betty suddenly moved and straddled his hips, a roguish smile forming on her lips when he chuckled and smiled up at her in much the same manner. Even in sweats and one of his t-shirts she was easily the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. 

“Did I ever say thank you?” Betty asked. Jughead quirked an eyebrow at her curiously. 

“For what?” 

“I don’t know,” she shrugged a shoulder, “For this? for everything?” 

“Um, I think you did.” Jughead laughed. 

“You think I did?” Betty repeated, giggling and raising her eyebrows at him. Jughead chuckled again and smoothed his hands over her thighs, his smile lopsided and warm. 

“Yeah well, the last couple of months have been really busy and besides, you have said that you love me so nothing else really matters beyond that.” 

“Oh yeah?” Betty asked with a sultry smile before she leaned down and kissed him slowly, deeply, moaning into his mouth when their tongues tangled and he wrapped his arms around her, dipping his hands under her shirt. Jughead tugged on the hem then and Betty sat up immediately, pulling it over her head and tossing it aside without hesitation. He smiled at the action and at how quickly she had read the situation, but he barely had a chance to take her in properly or to even appreciate what he did manage to see before she settled her mouth over his again, their lips molding and moving together with pure love and intention. 

“We should be unpacking ...” Jughead managed to breathe when the kiss broke a few long minutes later. His grip on her hips tightened then and a deep groan escaped from his throat when Betty moved against him anyway and kissed his neck, sucking on his skin until a faint mark appeared. 

“We could unpack or we could christen the new apartment.” 

She whispered the words right against his ear, her voice low and filled with so much desire that it actually sent shivers down his spine and caused him to stir awake in several places. Betty must’ve felt the effect her words had on him because she gasped against his lips when he pushed her down onto his hips even more. Jughead smirked and switched their positions then, the sudden and unexpected movement making Betty squeal with delight and surprise. He laughed as well and settled himself on top of her, kissing her thoroughly when she gave him the chance. 

“I’ll never get over how incredible that sound is.” he said, his eyes shining with all the warmth, love and happiness that he had blooming inside his chest. 

“What sound?” Betty asked softly, skimming her hands down the planes of his back and under the cotton vest he wore. 

“The sound of you being happy.” Jughead whispered the words softly, pecking her lips gently when she merely smiled at him in response. 

“It’s all because of you, Juggie. I wouldn’t be remotely close to how happy I am right now if you weren’t here.” 

He almost scoffed at the statement, unable to believe that someone like him could actually do that or be that for someone like her, but here she was telling him otherwise. 

“I love you.” he told her instead. 

“And I love you.” she breathed right before he crushed his lips to hers and kissed her deeply, dipping his tongue into her mouth when she whimpered into it. The first of many steps he would carry out to show her just how much he appreciated her and everything she had ever done for him. 

Thinking that if she wasn’t here he wouldn’t be happy at all. 

 

*

 

Their apartment needed a little work. Not a lot of work, but just enough to make it uniquely theirs. 

A lot of the adjustments were small and aside from their decision to turn the second bedroom into a sort of joint office for them to share, painting some of the rooms in the apartment was the only real change they actually made. 

Jughead had some experience when it came to painting walls efficiently. During high school he and Archie had spent most of their summer vacations doing some work for Archie’s dad’s construction company, but something as simple as painting walls with Betty Cooper was nothing close to what he was used to. 

There had always been a healthy amount of bantering conversation on those construction sites back in the day, but for the most part there weren’t a lot distractions which basically meant that any work that needed to be done was finished on time and without issues. The sight of his girlfriend though, in his white vest and an old pair of leggings, was the kind of distraction he somehow hadn’t anticipated. 

What’s more, Betty knew exactly what she was doing to him and more often than not she had to remind him to focus on the task at hand rather than her. 

“That’s easier said than done, Betts.” Jughead reminded her playfully. She knew exactly what he meant, given that she struggled all the same to keep her eyes off him, in his black t-shirt and an old pair of faded jeans. 

They worked in silence mostly, but occasionally glanced at each other just for the sake of looking and sometimes they would even comment on the work that had already been done. However, it was only when Jughead stopped to have a mini break and a much needed drink of water that things took an interesting and unexpectedly fun turn. 

Betty wasn’t sure why she did it - it being brushing smears of cream coloured paint all over his back, but the amused and slightly challenging look he gave her when he turned around somehow made it worth while. Maybe she did it because she felt like teasing him or maybe it was because he seemed like such an easy target in that particular moment or maybe she just so she could see him smile and hear him laugh again. Maybe it was all three. Either way, she loved what happened next. 

“You know babe, you look like you could use a massive hug right now.” Jughead threatened playfully when his efforts to get her back earned him a sizable splash of paint all over his front this time, covering parts of his face and hair as well. With a devilish grin, he advanced on her again and Betty squealed as she tried to make a run for it, only to be caught by his strong hands and pulled in for a long and smothering, bear hug. One she couldn’t escape even if she wanted too. 

“Okay, truce ... truce!” she said in between fits of laughter when Jughead picked her up and pressed her up against the nearest wall of wet paint, successfully exacting his revenge on her. He chuckled as well and kissed her smiling mouth soundly before setting her back down on the ground at once. Clearly satisfied with himself. 

They were both a mess now, covered in splotches of paint, but neither of them seemed to care. It was part of the fun after all and teasing each other would always be a cherish part of their relationship. When they finally finished the living room and the walls were dry enough to touch, Jughead found himself sitting cross-legged on the newspaper covered floor with his back against the wall and Betty sleeping next to him with her head in his lap. 

It was late in the afternoon and the mild, late autumn sun was streaming through the windows, warming the space around them with ease. He looked around their apartment, taking note of its limbo state of being half finished, half incomplete. He admired their work and all the little details that existed now. Details that were theirs and only theirs. It did something extraordinary to his heart. Something he couldn’t quite place, but wouldn’t change ever. 

With every second that passed now, he stroked his hand along Betty’s arm and smiled broadly whenever she burrowed herself into him a little more and hummed out her approval. He closed his eyes then and smiled to himself as well, thinking that for the first time ever he finally understood the meaning of the word “Home”. 

“Home” was wherever she was. 

That she was his “Home”. 

 

*~*~* 

 

*2 months later* 

It was late when Betty unlocked the door and walked into the apartment, cold and tired and frustrated beyond words. 

It had been a long week. One filled with boring articles to research and write and her editor being annoying and unnecessarily harsh than usual. It was the kind of week she would rather forget in other words and all she wanted right now was to crawl into bed and forget it even happened. Thank god it was a Friday and she had the weekend off to recover. 

With a heavy sigh, Betty closed the door and the first thing she noticed was that the apartment was really quiet. There was no sign of anyone in the living room or in the kitchen, which could only mean one thing. She smiled to herself and tip toed past the office, certain that her boyfriend was still neck deep in the final stages of his latest novel and, as much as she wanted to see him, she knew that it would be best not to disturb him right now. 

Despite the week that had just passed, the last couple of months since they had moved in together had been nothing short of incredible. Any reservations or doubts she had before had melted away as soon as they moved into their apartment and slowly, but surely made it their own. 

It was everything she hoped it would be and more and her relationship with Jughead was better than ever as a result. Surprisingly enough finding an apartment for them had been easier than anticipated and even though he didn’t necessarily say so, Betty could tell that including him in the whole process really meant a lot to him. 

Their first Christmas in the apartment was simple, but no less special than any other Christmas Betty had experienced in the past. With Archie and Veronica in Paris, FP visiting JB (who called every week as promised) and Betty still not on speaking terms with her mother, it was just the two of them over the festive period and the only real difficulty they encountered apart from the cold weather was trying to find a good place to hide their presents to each other. They decorated the tree together, drank hot chocolate, watched their favourite Christmas movies, exchanged gifts at midnight and made love soon after. 

It was as close to perfect as possible. 

Living together was blissfully domestic and ridiculously easy, even on days when Jughead got lost in his writing and she had a ton of work to get through they always found time for each other whenever they could. Whether it was early in the morning or late at night they always found a way to maintain that extraordinary spark between. Keeping it alive. Even on nights when he’d crawl into bed long after she had, waking up to his arms around her always made her feel better and extremely safe. 

With her smile still firmly in place, Betty headed to the bathroom instead, ready to wash the day and week away. 

Naturally, Betty only started to feel better after she stepped into the shower and stood beneath the stream of hot water for a while, sighing with gratitude when the tension in her muscles slowly started to ease away as well. She started to wash herself then and just managed to rinse the shampoo out of her hair when she heard the bathroom door suddenly open, a small smile playing on her lips when she felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around her from behind only minutes later. 

“Hey baby.” she said, leaning back against Jughead’s bare chest when he cuddled her and pressed his lips against her throat. 

“Hey yourself,” he said, smiling a few seconds when Betty leaned up and captured his lips with her own, giving him a slow, loved filled kiss. “How was your day?” 

“Pretty awful actually.” Betty said, remembering how everything seemed to go against her today. From the printer breaking down on her to her editor tearing up one of her articles because of a few grammatical errors. She heard Jughead sigh behind her then and nestled into him a little more when he rested his chin on her shoulder. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked. 

It was a standard question, one they always asked each other when it was absolutely necessary and while she would usually jump at the opportunity to confide in him, tonight she just wanted to forget and enjoy herself. They could and would definitely talk about it tomorrow though. 

“I’d rather talk about your day to be honest.” 

She was deflecting and even though Betty knew that he was only trying to help, she was especially grateful and relieved when he simply nodded and kissed her shoulder instead. 

“Is there anything I can do?” Jughead asked quietly, giving her a gentle squeeze. 

Betty smiled at the offer and turned in his arms then, looping hers around his neck. She looked at him for a moment, taking in how sexy he looked right now with his lopsided grin and his hair all wet and hanging in his eyes. Because of his hectic writing schedule she hadn’t seen him for most of the week and they barely had any time to get ... intimately close. That being said there was nothing stopping them from doing anything now and Jughead seemed to realise that as well when he smirked down at her suggestively and slipped his arms around her waist again, almost as if he’d just read her mind. 

“You can help me forget.” Betty whispered anyway, right before she leaned up and kissed him thoroughly, pressing her body right up against his when he pulled her closer and returned the intensity of the kiss, their tongues stroking and twisting together easily. 

She lost herself in him within a matter of seconds, tugging on his hair and breathlessly moaning his name when his mouth left hers to kiss the length of her neck, his hands gliding over and squeezing every part of her body that he could reach. 

Of course, he was only too happy to oblige. 

 

*

 

*A month later* 

 

It was very early in the morning when Betty woke to Jughead snuggling into her back and wrapping his arms around her, his lips dusting soft kisses against the shell of her ear. She smiled into her pillow and slowly turned around to face him, giving him a soft kiss as soon as she got the chance. 

“Sorry Betts, I didn’t mean to wake you.” he whispered apologetically. 

“It’s okay, I’m glad you did,” Betty whispered back, kissing his skin and smiling against it when she buried her face into the hallow of his neck. She meant every word. She hadn’t seen him a lot over the last couple of days so moments like these were incredibly easy for her to enjoy. “Did you manage to finish your book.” 

Jughead nodded and let out a huge, but exhausted sigh of relief. Betty kissed his bare chest and cuddled into him, thinking that she couldn’t blame him for being so pleased with himself, given that the he’d basically spent every moment he could spare working to get his latest book finished. As much as he loved to write, Betty could tell that it was tough on him sometimes and more often than not she had to remind him to do basic things, like sleep and eat.

“Are you actually going to let me read now?” she asked teasingly, fondly remembering the countless times she’d begged him to let her over the last couple of months. 

“Maybe,” he replied with a light chuckle, “I’ll let you read it as a birthday present.” 

“Juggie, my birthday’s still a few weeks away, you can’t expect me to wait that long!” Betty whined. She smacked his chest playfully then and Jughead laughed properly this time, the familiar sound sending a wave of pure warmth right through her. 

“Well, you could always try to convince me, Betts.” he whispered suggestively in her ear. 

“I would, if you didn’t sound completely and utterly worn out right now.” 

Betty giggled when Jughead scoffed at the comment and tried her very best to quell the obvious ache she had swirling around in the pit of her stomach now. She wanted him so badly right now that it actually hurt a little, but her desire to see him rested after weeks and weeks of late night writing sessions seemed more important than having sex. Or at least, that’s what she thought. 

Betty was about to remind him of that when Jughead suddenly rolled them and braced himself over her, his body cuddling hers in the best way possible now. He kissed her then. Deeply. Slowly. His actions unbridled and almost desperate and she strained against him at once, whimpering into his mouth and pulling him even closer when he smoothed his hand under her shirt and over her skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake.

“I need you, baby.” he whispered pleadingly then, pulling her shirt off and covering her breast with his hot and eager mouth. Betty gasped at the sensation, completely overwhelmed by it as she slipped her fingers into his hair and lifted herself to him. Craving more. 

“You have me, Juggie.” she promised breathlessly, shivering with pure anticipation and delight when she felt his hand moved down over her stomach and his fingers dip into her sleeping short. “Always.” she breathed when they finally touched her and slowly brought her to release. 

Everything else was forgotten in an instant. 

 

*

 

*Four months later* 

Betty had always loved surprises in any shape or form. She loved them because they usually always made someone happy or took an ordinary, everyday situation and made into something a million times better than what it probably would have been before. Jughead, on the other hand, didn’t simply because he liked to know exactly what he was getting himself into, rather than having it thrusted onto him without warning. 

So naturally, it surprised her immensely when she came home one evening and he told her to pack a weekends worth of clothes in a bag. It surprised her because when she asked him why and he told her, in an unusually suave tone, that it was a surprise, she was left almost frustrated by his answer. 

“Okay, you seriously have to tell me what is going on!” Betty said, pleading with him for what felt like the millionth time since they had hopped into Archie’s truck the next morning and starting driving towards the city limits. 

Jughead smirked, clearly enjoying himself. 

“I thought you loved surprises, Betts.” he teased playfully, laughing just a little when Betty rolled her eyes at him. 

“I do, but -“ 

“- then I promise you’ll love this.” he said, gently interrupting her. He took her hand in his and brought up to his lips, kissing it softly. “Trust me, baby.” 

Defeated, Betty scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, a crooked smile forming on her lips when he wrapped an arm around her and kissed the side of her head. Even after a year of being together she still lived for these soft interactions between them. No matter how frequently they happened. 

She sighed quietly and closed her eyes, letting him have his moment to astonish her this time. 

“I trust you.” she mumbled into his shoulder then, drifting off to sleep a moment later.

 

When Betty woke up again she was surprised when she saw the ocean stretched out before her, watching the waves crash against the sandy shore for a moment. She blinked and gaped at the sight with pure disbelief, trying to determine if she was dreaming or not, especially because she recognized the scene. 

It wasn’t hard to. 

“Surprise.” Jughead whispered in her ear then, making Betty jump a little. She composed herself quickly or she tried to anyway. 

“Juggie, is - is this ...” she trailed off, astonished. 

“It is,” he said, amused by her reaction, “I thought it would be nice to spend our first anniversary in the same place where it all began.” 

She looked at him then and her lips pulled into a wide smile when he opened the car door and took her hand, leading her out into the warm summer sun. She followed him down onto the beach, both of them removing their shoes so they could feel the fine sand between their toes. 

It was the same cabin where they consummated their love. The same stretch of beach where they shared their first kiss. The same ocean where they went for a failed midnight swim after a playful bet. The place where it all began. She took it in all over again and her heart practically melted in her chest with all the love she felt for the man standing beside her. 

“Let me guess, Veronica?” Betty said, realising now why her friend had been so playfully secretive and weird on the phone a couple of days ago. 

“Who else would it be.” Jughead chuckled, draping his arm over her shoulders. Betty leaned into him and smiled at that, making a mental note to thank her best friend profusely when they spoke again. 

“I love you so much.” she told Jughead when she reached up and cupped his face with her hand, kissing him softly. “Happy anniversary, Juggie.”

 

Of all the things they didn’t do at the cabin the first time around, not using the hot tub seemed like the biggest crime of all. So naturally it was the first offense they decided to amend that evening. 

Betty chose a simple black bikini and after tying her hair up into a bun, she admired the room that had been hers for a week a year ago, marveling at how it hadn’t changed at all despite the time. They had decided to stay in this particular room one, because of its significance to their relationship and two, because it was way too weird to to sleep in the same bed where their friends most likely had sex. Everywhere she looked she saw a memory, ones that made her blush and feel giddy with excitement. 

Jughead was already in the hot tub when she came downstairs and the sight of him wet haired and shirtless only served to improve her mood further. Of course, watching his eyes turn black with desire as they raked over her with obvious intent when she joined him in the hot water, was equally satisfying for her. Even more so. 

“So we’re only here for the weekend?” Betty asked as she waded through the bubbling water and sat down beside him. 

“Yeah,” Jughead sighed, throwing his arm around her shoulders again, “I wish we could stay longer, Betts and I’m sorry that we can’t, but with my book being published -“ 

“- It’s okay Juggie,” Betty said immediately, giving him a warm smile when she turned to look at him, “Honestly, the fact that you did all of this for our first anniversary together means the world to me. So don’t apologise, we’ll just have to make the most of it.” 

Jughead chuckled and smiled at her crookedly, his blue eyes shining with gratitude and with something else that made her whole body tingle with raw anticipation. Without saying a word, he reached for her then, slowly lifting her up by the thighs until she was straddling his lap and her hands were braced on his shoulders. 

“Trust me Betts, I had single every intention of making the most out of this weekend.” he murmured, kissing her until she was breathless and had her fingers tangled up in his hair. 

Betty sighed a little when they pulled a part and smiled as she took him in and trailed her fingers along his jaw, still trying to convince herself even after all this time that they were really together and really here. 

“I still can’t believe this is real.” she whispered so softly that she wasn’t sure he even heard her. He proved that it was though when he surged forward and kissed her again, this time sweeping his tongue into her mouth when she moaned into it softly and pressed herself against him, gently grinding her hips against his. She felt him stir beneath her and the sensation it brought immediately set her veins on fire. She felt his fingers undo her bikini’s tie and she quickly shrugged the straps off, settling her mouth over his again when he gently cupped her breast and ran his thumb over her nipple. 

“You’re so incredible, Betts.” he mumbled against her lips, kissing her again when Betty reached down between them to push his pants off his hips. Completely ready to lose herself in him again and then again and she did the second he eased inside her and started to move.

Like so many times in the past it was fast or impatient, but charged with everything they felt for each other. All the love and desire that burned between them. She would never get over the way he felt inside her or the feel of his hands and mouth moving over the curves of her body. Tasting her and keeping her close at all times. She would never get over how he kissed her whenever he could or how he breathed out his love for her when recovered after tumbling over the edge together. 

He was so ridiculously easy to love. So unbelievably easy to be with that she refused to believe that fate or some other universal force hadn’t designed all of this. That there wasn’t an invisible string that kept them connected and ensured that they would be together one day. She was positive now that she had never and would never love anyone as much as him. 

In fact, she couldn’t even imagine it. 

As promised, they made the most out of their weekend at the cabin. They spent most of Saturday suntanning on the beach and they had dinner at the same restaurant they went to with Veronica during their little bet. They went to Conway’s again and after a few drinks, Betty almost persuaded Jughead to sing some karaoke before he thankfully came to his senses. 

Nobody needed to be subjected to the sound of him attempting to sing. 

They didn’t stay at the bar for that much longer, especially when Betty saw some half drunk girl trying (and failing) to flirt with Jughead. They didn’t stay because he found her small bought of jealousy so god damn alluring that they barely made it out the door before he had her up against the nearest wall, kissing her so deeply and so thoroughly that he had her sagging against him by the end of it. Naturally, they barely made it back to the cabin before he had her in his arms, carrying her off to the nearest couch. 

Sunday was slow. 

Betty woke to Jughead pressing soft, but aimless kisses against her stomach, smiling so wide that it actually started to hurt, but in the best way. 

“Morning handsome.” she said, giggling lightly when he looked at her and smiled with an almost boyish grin. 

“Mmm, good morning.” he said warmly, giving her a gentle kiss, “You’re just in time for breakfast.” 

She noticed the tray at the foot of the bed then and smiled brightly, realising that he’d finally managed to make her breakfast in bed without her ruining it and that she’d fallen head over heels for one of the best men in the world. 

“Thank you, Juggie.” she kissed his cheek softly and pulled the tray closer, looking over the spread of scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit salad and pancakes that he’d made for them. She was about to pour herself a fresh cup of coffee when she spotted a sea shell on the tray, one she immediately recognized as the shell she had given to him a year ago. 

She picked it up, ready to ask him what this was all about only to freeze and have her heart leap into her throat when she saw what was underneath it; a silver engagement ring with a single, round cut diamond staring right back at her. She almost didn’t think it was real until Jughead picked it up and held it out to her. 

“You were always there. You always made things better somehow and you always stayed when I needed someone to.” he said, his voice quiet and shaky with nerves, “And I know this is might be unexpected, but I love you, Betty Cooper. I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but more importantly I want the honour and the privilege of calling you my wife for as long as fate allows.” 

The words echoed in her mind on a near constant loop, each one filling up her heart until it finally overflowed with a massive tidal wave of her unwavering disposition for him. He was right about everything, of course. He always was and she didn’t need to think about it. She didn’t have any doubts. Not when it came to him. 

It was clear that all they really needed was for someone to stay and when she said “yes” and then captured his lips with hers mere seconds later, it was a silent promise between them that they would always be that for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are always appreciated!! Xx

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr at night-hawk94 .... :)


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